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Florentine dinner

I stopped during my evening stroll for a light dinner. The restaurant didn't make their name easy to find. But they were very nice to me and I enjoyed my meal. I started with a bowl of ribbolita, the Florentine bread soup. It also includes several types of greens as well as beans. This is a very hearty soup. The fact that it gains its heft from both beans and bread keeps the flavor profile from being lopsided. The greens also contrast nicely with the bread. I plan to try to make this soup at home.
I finished with a nice order of lemon chicken and a salad. The lemon sauce was very smooth. It gave just a kiss of tartness to complement the chicken. Very satisfying without being heavy.
After a little more walking, I stopped by Festival del Gelato since no visit to Italy is complete without one dish of gelato.
Nocciola (hazelnut) is my favorite.

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