About us

A Personal Diary

from Danny Shadmi

June 1999: my first morning in Florence. I was woken up early by unfamiliar noises and busy voices. Although I did not know my way around and had no Italian, I followed the sounds and found myself in front of an imposing red building made of stone, iron and glass.I was so curious I walked straight in.Inside there was a whole universe bustling with life and activity: people unloading and arranging goods, customers looking for products, tourists browsing - a microcosm under one roof. Walking down the internal corridors of the market, I was impressed by a stall displaying a rich selection of cheese and cured meats ? my passion. I stopped and immediately started to ask the people in the stall questions in English. Their patience, hospitality and calm made me go back the next day, and the day after the next, and so on. That was my first step in a long journey of discovery of the culture, language and cuisine of Tuscany. A journey which has taken me closer to the lifestyle, the people and the city of Florence, and has made me know a kind of friendship that can’t be described. And all this thanks to a walk around a market, a shop, and two people ? Alessandro e Paola, my Tuscan family.