The first part was definitely a challenge. We had to climb several blocks of Costa San Giorgio, a steep cobblestone street, to the Villa Bardini (17th century) and nearby gardens. We did not have time to visit there, but the garden/park is sprinkled with sculpture and inlaid "furniture."
Chef John, Lynn, and Sandy sprinted up (they are in such great shape). Karen and Steve were next. Poor Karen wore cutsie sandals, but they did not work on this surface. Mike and I were in the rear, stopping now and then to catch our breath. Ever debonair Steve helped Karen and check on us laggers. This was only the first block of several. In the second pix, note our hotel was down by the river.
The name of the ristorante is La Leggenda dei Frati (Legend of Friars in English). The story behind the name is that of drunken, boisterous monks keeping their neighbors up.
Bottom layer of the wedding cake - Once there we had a few minutes wait on the terrace and could see part of the gardens with their outdoor art pieces scattered here and there. Some relaxed in modern "basket" lounge chairs. We enjoyed an expansive and lovely view over the Arno and the sights of Florence before moving inside for dinner.
Next layer - Inside white walls were decorated with interesting wall art designed with sewing pins topped with various colors of glass heads. John and Chef Filippo Saporito had met before and greeted each other Italian-style as if long lost brothers. The table was simply set with long bread sticks to start us off.
Next layer up was the meal - There were at least nine courses that Chef listed and a few more made especially for me as the pescetarian in the group. Every single course was simply divine. Here's the list with a few photos.
- Cured
& lightly smoked snapper, pickled onion
- Hand
chopped raw beef, fresh mushrooms, fresh olive oil sorbet
- Stuffed
ravioli with mushrooms, pecorino cheese sauce, mushroom broth
- Slow
braised beef cheek
- Après-dessert - Mini
ricotta raisin cakes, biscotti
I covered this menu too quickly, but that is in no way discounting the fabulous tastes and aromas that we experienced here. BUT I have to dwell a bit on the item listed above in blue. It was the coup de grâce of the meal for Mike and I. You just know something really exciting is happening when other guests in the restaurant come to your table to take photos.
Then it came our turn. We dove in with spoons and fingers to enhance the project with our swirly efforts to experience the performance art from our end. I just cannot tell you how fun and magical this was. Here is the before and after ...
Next layer up on the cake - After a bit, Chef asked us if we wanted a little tour of the attached museum. Even though it was closed he had access and would give us a personal tour of the floors above the ristorante.The Villa Bardini and gardens were owned and refurbished by Stefano Bardini in the 18th century. He was a famous art and antiquities dealer and collected high quality objects from various periods. The villa and much of its contents were eventually donated to the city of Florence.
Several floors display paintings, sculpture, tapestry, examples of architecture from all ages. If I got my facts straight, here rests the original Porcellino boar statue by Pietro Tacca in 1612. One drawing caught my eye. It was a fashion design drawing. I had no idea what was to come next.
Second to top layer of the "cake"- The next floor displayed haute couture fashion from the past in Roberto Capucci's (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Capucci) iconic clothing display. They were original gowns by high fashion designers. What a blast from the past. These were dresses shown on covers of fashion magazines and worn by the wealthiest. Some were made of unusual materials like bamboo. It was totally outside my realm of real life, but oh so fascinating. My photos do not do them justice, but here are a few examples.
The very top layer of the wedding cake was yet to come, if you can even imagine. Back in the elevator, we went to the rooftop terrace. We had a 280 degree view of the whole of Florence at night. Breathtaking and very romantic. Hard to get a good photo, even with Chef Filippo trying to help me. This one was taken by Steve.
As if that was not enough, as we walked out the door, we each got a box of chocolate candies inside. I cannot think of any better way to end a totally unexpected and enchanting evening.
http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/Bardini_Museum.html
or for the ristorante:
http://www.laleggendadeifrati.it (if you read Italian, but there are great photos).
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