Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dreamscapes.ca/i/679293
SPRING/SUMMER 2016 DREAMSCAPES 55 where between Florence and Pisa—exactly where we are is a secret guarded by the Savini family, whose truffle tourism busi- ness is about 15 minutes away. Suddenly, the dog stops, excitedly noses the roots of a tree, and sits, tail wagging. "Dove, Giotto?" (Where is it?) Giotto is trained not to eat or even leave a scratch on the truffles he finds; only to point them out in exchange for a doggy treat. Seems like a raw deal if you consider that in 2007, Giotto pointed to a 1.5-kilo- gram truffle that fetched a world-record US$330,000 when it was sold to a billionaire buyer from Macao. A cauliflower-size replica sits throne-like on a velvet cushion back at the Savini's store-restaurant. Lunch as part of my Truffle Experience tour is a multi-course affair of the good stuff: white truffle currently selling for about 3,000 euros per kilo, shaved, grated, diced or infused into every dish. It's a stinky feast that not even Thomas Keller, one of the family's regular clients, could match for extravagance. UNIQUE FINDS DOWNTOWN I arrive back downtown in the late after- noon and, on a sommelier's tip, I stop in at wine merchant Enoteca Bonatti to pick up a bottle of Sangiovese as a souvenir. Then I spend an hour at the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum, in the basement of the shoemaker's flagship store on Piazza Santa Trinita, admiring displays of thousands of examples of heels, wedges and wooden models custom-made for the feet of movie stars and other VIPs from the mid-1920s on. (Prince George's adorable baby feet are among those immortalized.) According to some sources, two-thirds of Italy's 15 most important national public galleries are in Florence, and many churches and palaces, such as the Ferragamos' Palazzo Spini Feroni, house their own stunning private collections. The city is an artistic and cultural marvel deserving of the tourists it welcomes. But my trip has been about discovering more unusual treasures. The sun sets over mustard-coloured homes along the Arno, and from time to time, rowers glide noiselessly past. With gelato arti- gianale from Gelateria La Carraia in hand, I step onto Ponte Alle Grazie. Then I set the cup down and pick up my camera: from the lesser- known bridge, there's a perfectly framed shot of Ponte Vecchio in the distance. T R A V E L P L A N N E R For more information, visit: Città Metropolitana di Firenze: firenzeturismo.it/en Desinare @ Riccardo Barthel: desinare.it Florence by Driver: +39 339 2413 Lungarno Collection: lungarnocollection.com Salvatore Ferragamo Museum: ferragamo.com/museo/en/usa Savini Truffle Experience: savinitartufi.it DS LEFT: From November through May, children can ride the colourfully painted horses of the Picci family's antique carousel operated for generations in Piazza della Repubblica by the Gucci Museo. BELOW: Thousands of shoes custom-designed for movie stars and VIPs are on display at the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum, below the shoemaking family's flagship store on Piazza Santa Trinita. Sarah Staples