L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2023 L'Italo-Americano I 've been to Florence on several occasions, even though I haven't been in years - note to self: it's time to pay a visit soon. There is so much to see and learn in this city: art lovers, historians, and foodies all have the time of their lives there. Universally c o n s i d e r e d t h e c r a d l e o f modern Italian culture, Flo- rence is the place we associ- a t e w i t h t h e b i r t h o f o u r beautiful language because home to the greatest of our p o e t s , D a n t e A l i g h i e r i . Charming and welcoming, Florence is, with Rome and Venice, the most visited city in Italy and the one with the strongest touristic growth: a place everyone wants to see. When I thought I knew all I needed about la città del giglio, at least as a tourist, I c a m e a c r o s s a n a r t i c l e b y B r i t i s h j o u r n a l i s t J o h n B r u n t o n , r e c e n t l y p u b - l i s h e d i n T h e G u a r d i a n , where he described a very special Florentine neighbor- h o o d , o n e w h e r e y o u c a n really experience life the Flo- rentine way, the Sant'Am- b r o g i o n e i g h b o r h o o d . Brunton's piece is filled with first-hand descriptions of its atmosphere and people, as well as plenty of advice on where you can get the best f o o d o r , i n d e e d , t h e b e s t h a i r c u t : t h e o l d e s t a n d l o n g e s t - s e r v i n g b a r b e r i n Florence, Savino Zaccagnino, works just here, in Piazza dei Ciompi, one of the neighbor- h o o d ' s f a v o r i t e m e e t i n g points. Sant'Ambrogio has a long h i s t o r y , j u s t l i k e i t s c i t y . Located in Florence's histori- cal center, it inherited its n a m e f r o m t h e C h i e s a d i Sant'Ambrogio, which is one of the oldest in town: while it l o o k s q u i t e u n a s s u m i n g , especially if compared with other Florentine religious buildings, the church housed a p l e t h o r a o f i m p o r t a n t works of art, which are now guarded in the Uffizi. The c u l t o f t h e s a i n t r e m a i n s important here: celebrations to honor him on the 7th of D e c e m b e r a r e a m o n g t h e most beloved events. The area has always been culturally and economically important for the city of Flo- rence. Thanks to its prime location along the Arno river, it was known as a lively trad- ing hub already in the Mid- dle Ages; here, many crafts- m e n w o u l d o p e n t h e i r w o r k s h o p s , t o o , a n d i t s importance only grew during the Renaissance, when the n e i g h b o r h o o d a t t r a c t e d a r t i s t s l i k e F i l i p p o Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti. What strikes about the place, Burton writes in his article, is its atmosphere: it's colorful, lively, multicultur- a l , f r i e n d l y , i n a w a y y o u may not necessarily expect in a city. Sant'Ambrogio is, perhaps, the most Florentine of Florence's neighborhood b e c a u s e i t m i r r o r s , i n i t s multi-faceted nature, the h i s t o r i c a l a n d c u l t u r a l essence of Florence itself. Perhaps, the best place to notice and embrace this is the neighborhood's market: il mercato di Sant'Am- b r o g i o i s k n o w n e v e r y - where in the city and it is considered one of its oldest. The covered food hall, in Piazza Ghiberti, was opened i n 1 8 7 3 a n d i t ' s o n l y a s t o n e ' s t h r o w a w a y f r o m Piazza dei Ciompi. It was the first covered market in Flo- rence. Today, just like in the past, the market expands in the streets around the hall, w i t h m a n y s t a l l s s e l l i n g more food, but also vintage clothes and antiques. Rosan- na Vannini, one of the locals interviewed by Brunton, who has been selling antiques here for three decades, com- pared Sant'Ambrogio to "an island, the last popular Flo- rentine neighborhood." T h e m a r k e t , w h i c h i s open Monday to Saturday, marks the daily lives of peo- ple around here, from the early hours of the morning to late afternoon. From tra- ditional Tuscan (no salt!) bread to fresh organic fruit and vegetables; from meats and fish, cheeses and cold cults, all the way to olive oil, here you can fix all of your daily shopping just by taking a walk around. There are also, as we said, handmade and vintage goods on sale, including jewelry, fabrics, pottery as well as antique a n d a r t p i e c e s . I n m a n y ways, this is a very Mediter- ranean place, something you may expect more in seaside cities, perhaps further South than Tuscany: the colors, the scents, the vendors' voices… all remind us of the precious atmospheres of the Mediter- ranean. This is also the perfect place to grab a bite on the go, thanks to the market's renowned street food hubs: y o u c a n f i n d t r a d i t i o n a l dishes to-go, including the iconic panino con il lampre- dotto, trippa alla fiorenti- na, ribollita and panzanella, all cheap and wholesome, not a tourist trap restaurant in sight. Because Sant'Am- brogio remains a people's n e i g h b o r h o o d , w h e r e tourists come and are wel- come, but don't change the nature and soul of the place. Here, you become a local. S a n t ' A m b r o g i o i s a l s o known for its multicultur- ality. For decades, this little sliver of Florence has been the home of several interna- tional communities, espe- cially the North African, the Romanian, and the Chinese, all enriching with their cul- ture and habits the already prosperous heritage of the a r e a . M u l t i c u l t u r a l i s m i s mirrored, of course, also in Sant'Ambrogio's stores and restaurants, a delightfully c o l o r f u l a r r a y o f s e v e r a l cuisines, trends, and crafts from all over the world. Sant'Ambrogio, the most F l o r e n t i n e o f F l o r e n c e ' s neighborhoods, is an open window into this beautiful city's gloriously artistic past and culturally wholesome, tolerant future. The fish lodge (above) is part of the Sant'Ambrogio neighborhood market (Photo: Cellai Stefano/Dreamstime) Is Sant'Ambrogio the real heart of Florence? CHIARA D'ALESSIO LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE

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