Ditta Artigianale in Santa Croce
Hidden in the quaint neighborhood of Santa Croce sits Ditta Artigianale, a gem of a cafe that serves up creative and beautiful food in the tiniest of kitchens. We stumbled upon this cozy and comfortable eatery by mistake, no one recommended it, it just showed up.
The place to be!
The two large open front doors invite you in, and upon entering, a retro feel takes over, with a turntable on a bench belting out tunes of the Rat Pack and other crooners.
Hip and cozy.
Hits the spot!
At first our plan was to just have a coffee and a pastry but we curiously wandered to the back where the wow factor took over as we observed sumptuous plates of salads and perfectly poached eggs leaving the kitchen. We were intrigued and immediately decided to stay for breakfast. In Italy, breakfast means standing at the counter of a “bar” tossing down an espresso and munching a brioche (croissant). This place was decidedly different.
Brunch of Croque Madam ala italiano.
The menu offered such enticing dishes as an Italian version of Croque Monsieur and Croque Madam. I chose the Croque Madam, a grilled sandwich stuffed with eggplant, pesto, spinach and mozzarella, topped with a fried egg. Decadent. The drinks were even more inventive. Hot coffee was out of the question because the morning weather was already steaming hot, so I tried the double espresso with tonic water over ice. Refreshing and surprisingly tasty.
Tonic induced double espresso.
I loved the vibe here. Local families dropped in proudly showing off their babies, the staff joyfully arranging flowers and everyone genuinely having fun. If I lived in Florence, this would be my morning feel-good hangout!
Santa Croce, Florence, Italy
Ciao for now,
Mary
