Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I completely agree with the "Knitting Fiend" below. Reading this book before going was a joy, especially the stories about the families who own these cafes, the luminaries who frequented them, and so forth. But almost without exception they were poor places to actually visit: far too touristy, overpriced, super crowded (these places must be recommended the world over!) and, most shockingly, they had BAD COFFEE!!! Was the author off base, or have things changed dramatically since he visited? Who knows? The best advice, sad to say, is simply to avoid all the places he writes about. (NOTE: The same applies times two to Wolff's "Cafe Life Rome." Never have I been steered to such bad, tourist ripoffs. Read the book, but leave it at home and follow your nose!)
Click Here to see more reviews about: Cafe Life Florence: A Guidebook to the Cafes & Bars of the Renaissance Treasure
Like its older sibling Café Life Rome, author Joe Wolff and photographer Roger Paperno's new book profiles family-owned cafes, bars, and gelaterias, this time in the glorious and historic city of Florence. Reap the rewards of their exhaustive research into the fine espressos and artisanal gelatos to be found in the city that is the heart of Tuscany, one of the world's great regions of gustatory pleasure. Not only will this book recommend choice vantage-points from which to sit back and enjoy Florence, but Wolff's interviews with the cafés' owners make a fascinating read. It seems the gregarious owners of these establishments can't help but sprinkle their information about the ancient freezing systems for the gelato or the best sources for coffee beans with local customs (such as one involving oxen and fireworks on Easter morning), Italian film history (of course), and gossip (about a certain American actor's indigestion, for example). If the stories in Café Life Florence make you want head to the Barberi bar or the Ciolli gelateria to hear some more, Paperno's stunning and evocative photography makes you feel as if you're already there-the steam rising from your espresso, your spoon slipping into a creamy gelato. Florence is like no other city, and Café Life Florence pays homage to its simplest pleasures.
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