Summer ’17 Florence’s Coolest Summer Spots, II

SERRE TORRIGIANI IN PIAZZETTA.  Piazza de Tre Re. Open from mid May to September 30 from 10 am to 12 30 am Monday-Sunday. Live music from Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 7 to 10 pm.

In Florence’s current climate of blistering heat, strolling through the city center’s congested central streets is no easy feat. Just off of Via Calazuoli, however, appears sign luring the comer with promises of a garden, cold drinks, and free internet access.

Follow the pointed arrows down a narrow alley filled with blossoming flowers and potted plants until you reach the Piazza de Tre Re (Piazza of the Three Kings). There, filling the entire square, is a garden bar known as the Serre Torrigiani in Piazzetta.

The Serre Torrigiani in Piazzetta’s backstory is remarkable. The bar’s manager, Antonio, successfully petitioned the city of Florence to clean up the piazza, a former gathering place for pickpockets and late-night partygoers, and transform it into a public garden for Florentines and tourists alike to enjoy.

Antonio accurately describes his garden bar as “an oasis” in the middle of the desert-like climate of Florence’s historical center. Regardless of where you sit, you are surrounded by plants, which Antonio’s employees water daily.

The flowers themselves have been carefully selected from the grounds of the Giardino Torrigiani, a splendid private garden that is open to the public once a year. Peonies, trellised vines, and spiraling potted boxwood trees are among the many carefully tended plants that surround café-goers.

While you relax in the cool environment of Serre Torrigiani’s urban garden, there are a number of delicious snacks and drinks that you may sample. For those that miss the pressed juices that are readily available in the United States, the “Summertime” drink is a refreshing, thirst-quenching blend of pineapple, kiwi, and lemon. Another drink, “Energy,” is a revitalizing combination of orange, lemon, and carrot.

When it comes to food, the urban garden serves classic Tuscan staples, such as panzanella, a tomato and bread salad, and pappa al pomodoro, a rich tomato soup sprinkled with bread crumbs. Antonio specially recommends the garden’s cold cuts, which come in paninis with tomato and basil or on a platter with melon and mozzarella cheese.

Enjoy the beverage and snack of your choice while you listen to live music, which is played from 7 to 10 pm from Friday to Sunday. The garden is also available for events such as private parties and birthdays.

The Serre Torrigiani is a combination of many exceptional elements: a stunning garden environment, refreshing cold drinks, delicious, authentic Tuscan food, and entertaining music. Visitors will want to stay and enjoy themselves long past 1 am, when the bar closes due to the fact that people live around this tiny, hidden piazza.  (margaux glovier)