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Organic Florence- Sunday Market- Good Kitchen Karma

The third Sunday of the month in Florence is the Fierucola in Piazza Santo Spirito, crossing over the arno… to the oltr’arno…. or as they say here Dilladarno. This is a wonderful place to shop, picking up home-grown items such as honey, plants, herbs, pasta, cheese, wool items, soaps and whatever these creative people can…

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Market to Table- Certaldo- Concetta’s Pasta

I call myself an Italian life coach. It is not easy to learn how to be Italian. I made lots of mistakes at first, as all newbies do. Quickly corrected by all those around me, I now pass-on what I have learned. Recipes are only part of it! But since I teach cooking, that is…

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Shop Local… Eye Candy

In my cooking classes in Florence, Italy where I moved in 1984, there was no other way to shop than daily… and local. Florence has two fixed market places, built in the late 1800’s when Florence was made the capital of united Italy. The Central Market, which is right outside my kitchen-studio window, is a…

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Tuscan Treasures- Roberta

When I first started teaching classes for Syracuse University here in Florence in 1988, one of my first teachers at the San Lorenzo market was Roberta. She had the largest fruit stand upstairs with her oldest son. Roberta would always give me huge bags of ripe fruit for 5,000 lira to make huge bowls of…

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To Market to Market

My market, San Lorenzo,also known as the Mercato Centrale, Central Market Upstairs, there are several vegetable purveyors that have some fabulous mushrooms in season, Porcini being the local specialty. (This is no longer the upstairs, it was restored and revamped in 2014) There are one or two fish mongers that have their own boats, Mom’s…

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Food Rules

This sign is on the wall of a meat counter in Florence’s San Lorenzo Market. I asked the Butcher, if it was real.( the sign says, “Forbidden to spit on the ground”. This sign dates back from when there were sputoons in the market, and encouraged the use of sputtoons! Other Food Rules in Italy…

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Judy Witts Francini

Originally from California; Tuscany has been my home since 1984. I found the city of Florence to hold all my passions, food, wine, art all in one place. When I am not in Tuscany, I am often found in Sicily, my other favorite place to be. Always searching for recipes to share and exploring for the guides I write to my favorite cities for food and wine.

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Visit Tuscany | Kitchenmate

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