Oct. 1, 2026

Overrated Food Trends in Florence (and What to Eat Instead) with Sara Cagle

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Season 2

Are wine windows, flambé cheese wheels, and viral affogatos ruining Florence’s food culture—or is there room for a little culinary theater?

In this episode, Georgette and Valentina sit down with Florence-based private chef, journalist, and Saporita supper club founder Sara Cagle to unpack the city's rampant "food trend fatigue." From TikTok-driven bucket lists to historic gelato spots overwhelmed by algorithms, we examine how social media and post-pandemic tourism have transformed how people eat in Tuscany.

Plus, Sara shares her insider tips on how to bypass the tourist-trap circus, spot genuinely good neighborhood trattorie, and experience authentic Tuscan dining.

In This Episode, We Cover:

  • How Florence Got Trend-ified: The role of TikTok, Instagram Reels, and "revenge travel" in creating viral food frenzies overnight.
  • Wine Window Overdrive: The history of buchette del vino, post-COVID contactless novelty, and whether any wine window is actually worth the line.
  • Cheese-Wheel Pasta Theater: Flambéed Parmesan-wheel tagliatelle—is it technique, hygiene nightmare, or pure stunt?
  • Novelty Imports in Centro Storico: Why Japanese soufflé pancakes and matcha shops are replacing historic local storefronts.
  • The Vivoli Affogato Boom: What happens to a 1930s historic gelateria when the algorithm "discovers" an old classic.
  • How to Eat Well in Florence: Practical rules of thumb to spot real neighborhood gems over social media hype.
  • Cose a Caso Spitfire Round: Bistecca opinions, underrated Tuscan dishes, wine window gambles, and walk-up theme songs.

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