Florence, Italy
Enoteca Pitti Gola, food and wine in the Oltrarno
Piazza de Pitti 16
“Hey, you’re back,” Zeno called from behind his bar as I entered Pitti Gola.
“Back for a glass of Italian wine,” I said, “You choose.”
“Ciao, you’re back,” Edoardo, Zeno’s older brother, popped up the stairway leading from the cellar of Pitti Gola.
“You need some of my money,” I said, “I read the Italian economy struggles.”
Edoardo shrugged, “Maybe some places in Italy are struggling, we are doing OK.”
Why this place appeals to me.
On 2008 New Year’s Eve Edoardo, Manuele and Zeno purchased the Enoteca. In February 2009 I spent three weeks in Florence. The guys were all single then, they are all married now. Edoardo and Zeno are brothers, Manuele is a longtime friend.
The three owners are serious about their wine. I’m half-serious; serious about sipping, preferring wines at half price.
Pitti Gola is not Off The Map. This enoteca has been discovered. The ambience is low key; casual wear works. The wine is delivered in high style. Describe to the guys what you like to sip and let them choose. They pour the wine, describe the grape, the location of the vineyard and what’s happening in Italy.
Pitti Gola serves Tuscan bites and plates. The outdoor patio seats 8-10, inside is seating for 6-8. The small cellar can accommodate a party of 10-12. Zeno loves to talk wine, when he leads dinner conversation in the cellar, time flies.
How Far Down the Block?
Cross the Ponte Vecchio on foot, south into the Oltrarno; leaving the throngs of tourists behind you. It is a direct 250 meter stroll directly south, towards the Pitti Palace. The shops along Via De Gucciardini will thrill those who believe Black Friday is their day. [mappress mapid=”12″]
Bus D, a Florence short bus, stops directly in front of Pitti Palace, and Pitti Gola. Bus D runs from the Santa Maria Novella train station (the main station) along the entire Oltrarno, from Ponte Vespucci to a terminus at Piazza Ravenna.
Why you might be nearby?
Theorem #1 – You’re touring the Vasari Corridor, yawning, looking out an ancient porthole and realize you’ve crossed the Arno and are now free to roam about. Look for a secret escape; Dan Brown in his novel, Dante’s Inferno, described where the hidden escape from the Pitti Palace is located. Brown didn’t reference it, but by my calculations the escape is within 75 meters of Pitti Gola’s wine sanctuary.
Theorem #2 – Your in line at the Pitti Palace; an hour from gaining entrance. Across the street, under the street side awnings of a small enoteca, people are chattering, laughing. You make a choice; wine trumps art.
Lesser Known Facts
Once across the Ponte Vecchio and into the Oltrarno, the two block walk south to Pitti Gola on Via De Gucciardini is a fascinating shopping street. High quality wares, presented with an absence of name brands and absence of name brand prices. If your partner is chirping about shopping time sacrificed while you pursue an afternoon glass of Italian wine, common ground can be achieved in this neighborhood.
Within Enoteca Pitti Gola, wine fills the walls. Alongside the wine bottles, small glass vessels hold soil samples from the Tuscan vineyards where the grapes grow. Down the block from Enoteca Pitti Gola, the guys maintain a wine cellar. Zeno ran to his wine cellar to retrieve a special wine.
“You need more space,” I said.
Zeno replied, “I share my space with the wine, the wine is what is important.”
Local Recommendation
The Boboli Gardens, behind the Pitti Palace, directly across the street from Pitti Palace, might be the nicest outdoor meander in Florence.
Something for Nothing
Once inside Boboli Gardens, access the adjacent Bardini Gardens from an unadvertised gate in the high NE Boboli corner. Boboli has the best sculpture and foliage, Bardini has spectacular views over Florence. Take Dante’s Inferno and read the passage where Robert Langdon and Sienna Brooks scale the Boboli walls at night, using the garden to avoid their pursuers