Trattoria Angolo Pitti

This is Trattoria Angolo Pitti- a restaurant a short walk across the river. When I came to Florence, I was eager to try all the touristy restaurants I saw advertised on social media, so I made it my mission to do my first month here. Though I enjoyed my meals at these restaurants, nowhere felt special or worth returning to immediately. My friend had invited me to dinner at their new favorite place, which soon became my favorite place. Trattoria Angolo Pitti had great food and an incredible staff, making the place and experience memorable. The staff offered exceptional services and shared stories about places special to them in Florence. They also asked about my travels and my time in Florence, making it a point to build a meaningful connection. This dining experience felt personal in a way that I had not experienced in Florence yet. Trattoria Angolo Pitti represented what many restaurants have lost in the wave of mass tourism and homogenous consumerism: authenticity. Popular dining spots have focused on simply becoming places for tourists to check off their lists, focusing on aesthetics and economic gains rather than building personal connections that give places a unique identity. Visiting Trattoria Angolo Pitti is a refreshing experience in a city where consumerism seems to strip restaurants of a distinct identity and make every restaurant, museum, and site feel the same. The city's soul is diminished in these areas where the primary focus is serving a mass rather than crafting a personalized, unique experience. Businesses prioritize maximizing their profit and status, which can be noted by the fact that many places try to serve as many people as possible, overpricing small portions of food and having quick interactions with customers. In attempting to conform to the global tourist markets, restaurants and other important sites in cities lose character, making them distinct from every other place. It is not that Trattoria Angolo Pitti serves unique food that cannot be found elsewhere, but it caters to an experience tailored to each customer, making the dining experience comfortable and homey. What truly made me feel connected to this place was that it reminded me of my dad's restaurant in Chicago. Connecting with customers was just as important as serving excellent food, even in a city where tourism causes individuals to lose sight of the value of personal attention rather than a homogenous experience. The food at both of these places definitely draws people in, but it is the people who make the experience. You want to return to a place that focuses on every table and handles the needs and satisfaction of each customer differently and with care. In all, having a place that feels personal and comfortable within a new city as a tourist is something special. It was obvious through my interactions with the staff and my observations of their encounters with other customers that Trattoria Angolo Pitti was an establishment driven by a passion to connect with people and elevate their dining experience, contrasting the often impersonal nature at touristy restaurants in Florence. In dining here, I learned that though these touristy places may be the most popular and sought-after, it is often the smaller, less-known places that offer richer experiences. - Katerina Vasquez