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Florence, Italy; one short evening in town

Firenze Santa Maria Novella, the terminal station in Florence
 After a long weekend in Torino spent with friends it was back to reality for work and off to Florence for an afternoon of customer meetings and maybe a little time in the city center of Florence.
Arrival at the main station
Piazza del Repubblica 
StringGirl and me at the Doumo


StringGirl and the stunning stone work of the Doumo Cathederal Santa Maria Fiore

Mercado Centrale, the central market where restaurants and shops are open until 1:00 am

Nice wines and beers to be had at the Mercado

Very loud, lively, and welcoming. Mercado Central was a nice spot for dinner
Luca from ESI Italy was our host that evening
When telling anyone that it it is your first time in Florence they will list off all the things to see and eat. Undoubtedly the Bistecca Fiorentina will be among them. Now, when most 'muricans think of italian cuisine they might immediately think of thick and heavy pasta ragu or bolognese, lasagna, or pizza. Steak is not the first thing to come to mind. But of course, Italy is a diverse country with diverse offerings for food. Italian food? Like any where else you visit, "Here we just call it food.". 

The house special, just slice a couple of inches off that massive hunk of beef on that table and serve it.
On the suggestion of locals, we dropped by the Mercado Centrale looking for the restaurant Tosca. There we needed only a short look at the menu, as we were after only one thing. The Florentine Steak. It is a T-bone cut of inordinate proportions. They hack off a slice (slab) and offer it to you in kilograms. Would you like the single or the double? Luca, StringGirl, and I opted for a single kilo only.
The Fiorentina Steak- Before
The Steak is brought to you after the butcher portions your order for your inspection, but nobody asks how you like your steak done. There is only one option, RARE.
Fiorentina grilled and plated
A beauty! Perfectly rare, grilled to perfection and rested.
Walking off our share of over a Kilo of BEEF!
Good night Florence, we'll be back



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