I am a NYC culinary school-trained cook who visits Italy often and when we do, we rent apartments instead of staying in hotels so that I can cook. My favorite place to visit is Florence and no small part of this is having the chance to shop at Baroni Alimentari.
The Baroni family runs this shop in the Mercato Centrale and I've been shopping there for about 15 years. Their selection of cured hams, salumi, cheeses (from both Italy and other European countries), olive oils, wine, vinegars, olives, amazing canned tuna, dried pasta, Tuscan breads, smoked fish, and more and more -- it's all outstanding. Many of the items are from very small producers, the kind of things that not only don't travel out of Italy, they also don't even leave the Tuscan region. One of my favorite things to buy from them is mostarda, a sweet-hot jam that is amazing with a piece of sheep's milk cheese. And they sell the best ever mortadella, even better than what I've had in Bologna where mortadella originated.
While the shop can sometimes get very busy, when it's your turn you get all of their attention and expertise, plus their charm and warmth. They take all major credit cards and can vacuum-wrap items, like a piece of parmigiano reggiano, for travel.
Baroni is a treasure and I'd urge any home cook who is visiting Florence, even if you don't have access to a kitchen, to stop by and buy a delicious souvenir for a picnic lunch or snack. And if you live in or near Florence, well lucky you to be able to shop here often. read more