La Leggenda dei Frati and Santabarbara: two interpretations of cultured but profoundly human catering.
There is a Florence that continues to cook stories, rather than dishes. A Florence that manages to combine the solemnity of art with the spontaneity of a chat between friends at the table. It is what is told today in two “measures” of Tuscany: The Legend of the Friarsnestled between art and nature in the garden of Villa Bardini, e Santabarbaraa small contemporary jewel with twenty seats in via Pier Capponi. Two different interpretations of the same language: that of empathetic, cultured, but profoundly human catering.
The great beauty of Villa Bardini
A few steps from the Ponte Vecchio, surrounded by vegetable gardens, orchards and the medieval walls of the city, The Legend of the Friars it is much more than a restaurant: it is a sensorial experience that intertwines art, nature and memory. The place, once the home of the collector Stefano Bardini, now a museum and exhibition space, hosts in its stables the starred restaurant of Filippo Saporito And Giovannini eyeshadowa couple in life and work, who for years have been pursuing an idea of ”engaging and convivial” cuisine. The name comes from a Sienese legend: three friars who, inebriated by the fruits of their land, danced all night without stopping. It is a myth that becomes a metaphor for their philosophy: the joy of sharing, of transforming the raw material into a gesture of love.
Saporito and Giovannini, starting from Abbadia Isola in Siena, have brought to the heart of Florence a way of cooking that speaks of respect for the land, research and emotion. “The success of the Legend,” says Saporito, “is not of a single person but of a community of producers, artisans and professionals who believe in the value of Tuscan know-how.” On their menu, each dish is a story: the Terrine with Colonnata lard and dried figs, on the menu since 2004, the Beetroot tatakiThe Pigeon changing according to the seasons. Cooking is a declaration of belonging, but also an act of creative freedom. Everything contributes to building a coherent and sensorial story. From the large windows, Florence can be seen as a living painting. Between the pink lights of the walls and the green of the bud chandeliers, you can feel that same vibration that animates the garden: the beauty of a fragile but perfect balance.
Santabarbara: the new flame of Florence
Not far away, but in a completely different register, Santabarbara it lights up another idea of Tuscan cuisine. In via Pier Capponi, a stone’s throw from Piazza Libertà, Lorenzo Chirimischi And Alessio Ninci – two thirty-year-old chefs with experience between Arnolfo, St. Hubertus And Essential – they have created a small contemporary temple of 20 seats where the flame of passion meets the concreteness of the profession. The name was not chosen by chance: Santa Barbara is the patron saint of those who work with fire and, at a time when opening a restaurant in Florence “means playing with fire”, as Ninci ironically quips, the reference is more than symbolic. The environment is intimate, the counter dominates the room, and the kitchen communicates directly with the guests. The music – between rock and hip-hop – accompanies instinctive, territorial and sustainable dishes. Their idea is simple but revolutionary: short menus, zero waste, fresh raw materials purchased daily from small producers. “This way we can guarantee quality, lightness and a sincere experience,” explains Chirimischi. The rules of the house are clear: no fixed map, but four evocative paths – Lightning, Tower, Cannon And Spade – which change every day based on the market. Transparent prices, a sustainable approach, and a format that challenges the rigidities of fine dining without sacrificing care. “Catering must evolve,” conclude the two chefs, “not out of vanity, but to survive in a healthy way. May Santa Barbara protect us from the sparks!”
Two souls, one Tuscany
Among the classic enchantment of Legend of the Friars and the rebellious energy of SantabarbaraFlorence discovers itself as a living laboratory of gastronomic identity. A city that alternates the silence of the gardens of Villa Bardini with the urban rhythm of via Pier Capponi, but which in both cases recognizes its most authentic language in the table: that of relationship, taste and humanity. Two sizes, one Tuscany. One that celebrates the myth, the other that challenges the future. Both, however, united by that spark that still makes Tuscan cuisine one of the liveliest in Italy: the ability to excite with sincerity.
