"Questo è bacco e Arianna, belli, e l'un dell'altro ardenti...Chi vuol esser lieto sia. Di doman non c'è certezza".

Should anybody entitle me to use these verses, I would employ them for describing the enchantment of this small florentine paradise. Under the vaults and among the walls of "Il cantinone" (the big cellar), you sense the love for old fashioned good things, still made with passion and according the tradition of rural cuisine. Thus, immediately you start fantasying about Maddalena and Ludovico and their secret love, it may have been in their youth when they were looking for some moments of intimancy in the darkness of this big cellar. In that way, they were able to hide from their respective parents, who were both strongly against their wedding. Luckily, they could eventually crown their dream of love and the young couple was able to adorn the old palace of "Fondaccio di S. Spirito" with the help of well known artistes, such as Bernardino Poccetti. their paintings, frescoes and decorations brought even more glory to the Capponi family: all this was happening in 1590. Now, at "il Cantinone" you can enjoy and again breath the flavour of tradition, relish the past and the forgotten savors. Here you can taste the Tuscan wines which speak of their homeland, il "Chianti", the olive oil, ideal for dressing "ribollita", "pasta e fagioli" and "pappa al pomodoro". Finally, the bread is still made as it was centuries ago, in the traditional oven heated with woodfire, by using wheat ground in old stones mills.

 There you get the "crostoni", where chef Renzo his fantasy; the "trippa alla fiorentina", the "fagioli all'uccelletto", the "salsicce" and you can test all this while the wine pours slowly, at the pace of old forgotten rhythms. Love can make this happen. The same love that convinced the present owners, quite a few years ago, to bring all this to life again. You feel this love, every time you come here, every time you eat and drink in this place. Then, if after the dessert you convince the owners to open the doors of their cellars, you will realize that, despite all this enchantment, something was going to be missed: a top parade of absolutely rare wines, all spendidly aligned as in a fashion defilee, Grigio di San Felice, Predicato, Brunello, Sassicaia, Montesodi, Frescobaldi and so on. The Cantinone is this, and much more than this. If you love good and the beautiful things, then it is your time to discover all this.

GUIDO GUIDI GUERRERA

(Journalist and writer)