A travel guide to Firenze Schiacciata

A recent trip to Florence offered all the beauty of art and architecture that we were hoping for, but I’m sure it has been spoken about at length by far too many people to warrant another person waxing lyrical on Botticelli’s Venus or Michaelangelo’s David. Instead, I have decided to wax lyrical on Tuscany’s famous sandwich, the schiacciata, a focaccia bread that has been squashed, and then sliced for sandwich bread. I thought that since it was such a large part of our trip, being the most reliable and easily accessible lunch food, that surely it deserves just as much attention, if not more, as the art. After all, although art does feed the soul, sandwiches feed the heart and the body, which is perhaps a more useful purpose. 

Schiacciata number 1

The first schiacciata we had in Florence was ordered on Deliveroo from All’ Antico Vinaio, one of the most famous sandwich shops in the city. After eating a croissant each in Gatwick airport before our flight, we arrived at our flat by 3pm desperate for something to eat. I suggest walking around to see what shops will be open, but my girlfriend insists that nearly everything will be closed for the controra (siesta). As it turns out, she is right, and we return home from the drizzling rain empty handed and empty stomached. All’ Antico Vinaio was one of the shops recommended to us by a friend and we are disappointed to see on google maps that the nearest one is a 40 minute walk away. We decide to order. Because we ordered online we were able to pick and choose our fillings, which was exactly what I wanted in the panic of my hunger. I ordered gorgonzola dolce, pesto di pistachio and zucchini. My girlfriend had the same but swapped out the blue cheese for stracciatella, her favourite kind of cheese. They were indulgent and creamy and the pesto was divine, nutty and savoury. 

10/10

Schiacciata number 2

On our second day we decided to walk through the centre of the city, over Ponte Vecchio which is a bridge of jewellery shops, and along the south of the river to il Giardino delle Rose and Piazzale Michaelangelo. By the time we made it through the centre and to the other side of the river I was overwhelmed and hungry, so we stopped at the first shop after Ponte Vecchio, a shop called Panini del Chianti. There was only one kind of vegetarian sandwich so we both ordered that (Il Vegetariano), with pesto, mozzarella and tomatoes, walked along and ate standing by the wall overlooking the river in the sunshine. The schiacciata was delicious and crispy, smaller than the one we had been spoiled with the day before, but as always, an Italian tomato could run circles around an English tomato. It gave us the strength to scale the hill up to Piazzale Michaelangelo and to the rose garden, both of which had wonderful views of Florence and the countryside and the mountains on the outskirts of the city. For a while we lay on a bench in the sun in the rose-less rose garden and looked out at the view of Il Duomo and the mountains behind. 

6/10

Bonus points on this day for tramezzini we made once back at home with Nutella and strawberries. Again, such strawberries are in a league of their own. I suppose this wasn’t a schiacciata but I have decided it counts as it is a sandwich.

Schiacciata number 3

On our third day we took a day trip to the medieval city of San Gimignano. I was very excited to learn online that there is a miniature version of the town that people can visit, so besides the potential for sandwiches, that was another of my priorities. Thinking that we only had to get a train there, and then realising that from the train station there was a 45 minute coach through the Tuscan mountains lengthened our journey slightly but it was worth the wait to drive through the hills and the countryside. One there, we walked up the main street up to the top of the hill to find the square with three schiacciate shops, two of which only had either il caprese or il vegetariano on their menu. The third shop had a third option, L’Artista! We ordered two of these and sat on a small bench at the back of the shop to eat. L’Artista was made up of burrata, tomatoes, basil and crema di pistachio. The burrata was perfectly creamy but not overly milky in taste, the tomatoes were delicious and fresh. We both decided there could have been more pesto as the flavour didn’t come through much, but the basil made up for that. I consider trying one with meat the next day just for the experience. We find the room with the miniature town. We find a bench with a view. Bonus points for gelato with pistachio and raspberries which we eat descending the hill on our way to the bus stop. 

9/10

Schiacciata number 4

Our fourth day started a little wrong, as we woke up at 7am to visit Galleria Dell’Academia, only to realise once we had shown someone our ticket that we booked for the day after. We walked around the centre for about 4 hours, visiting the famous photobooth, and sat for 3 different coffees before we decided we were hungry enough for lunch. We settled on the Schiacciateria de’neri. This had a big queue but in comparison to All’ Antico Vinaio beside it, was much more bearable. My girlfriend ordered La Pistachio with pesto di pistachio and stracciatella and the pesto was the best we had all week. I ordered La Tartufo with truffle paste, salad, tomatoes and pecorino. These were by far the largest schiacciate we had all week, twice the size of most for 6 euro each. After they were made, they were put in the oven to toast and melt the cheese. Peppers, garlic, and cuts of meat hung overhead to dry, with wine bottles lining the walls. Having found the centre too busy after spending all morning there, we walked along the river until we got to a small park on the riverbank and sat in the shade of a tree looking out. Out of all the sandwiches we had, this one was my girlfriend’s favourite. For me, the salad and truffle overpowered the bread and the pecorino and after getting halfway through, I remembered I wasn’t that fond of truffle. So really, the failure of this was my own forgetfulness. I was offered some pity pesto and stracciatella which perked me up.

2/10 (my own fault)

Bonus points for our dinner in the evening. We had a holiday house about half an hour away from the centre and at the end of the road was a very promising bistro which we decided to try out after my disastrous affair with the truffle. Unexpectedly, this was by far the best food we had in Florence. Spartacus Bistro was a triumph, made up of tuna tartare with capers, paccheri alla trabaccolara (seafood), fettuccine with muscles, fried baccalà (dried, salted cod) with a cocktail glass of tomato, caper and olive. For dessert, whipped mascarpone with strawberries and caffè. A feast for kings.

Schiacciata number 5

On our fifth day we braved the business of the Ufitzi, managing to avoid most of the crowds by going at the earliest time. The Birth of Venus, Primavera, Venus of Urbano, Self-portrait of Raphael, Medusa. Looking back through the photographs I took on my phone, I remember that I only ever take close ups of specific parts of paintings that I really love. I scroll through photos of a dog, a bird, a bitten apple, a lizard on a skull, the front feet of a seahorse, a very curvy pot, a couple more scruffy white dogs, a bun of plaints with pearls, fruit. I’m shocked to see I have a full photograph of Medusa. Around 11.30 we were back outside and hungry enough to queue for All’ Antico Venaio. I ordered the Pistachio 3 – mozzarella, tomatoes, pesto di pistachio, zucchini. My girlfriend ordered the Vegetariana 2 – stracciatella, pesto di pistachio, tomatoes, basil. Again, we ate leaning over the wall of the river in the sunshine. The bread was very crunchy and warm, but loses a point from my girlfriend for not being salty enough. However, they gain a point for having the best vegetarian selection of all, having about seven options as opposed to the two or three that other places had. Also yes, we perhaps ate too much pistachio pesto this week. After eating, we boarded the train to Pisa to see a friend and take a photograph in front of the leaning tower of Pisa.

9/10

On the sixth day we rested (in relation to sandwiches).

edited by Charlotte Lewis