Simply good food in Florence

The Republic of Fabio Picchi

In 1979 Fabio Picchi opened his first restaurant in Borgo La Croce, a neighbourhood east of Florence's historic centre, in via de' Maggi and via del Verrocchio, next door to the Sant'Ambrogio mercato comunale, or public market. These days you will find 6 or 7 different establishments run under the name or variants of Cibreo all in and around via de' Maggi and via del Verrocchio.

assortment of herbs and flowers in former tomato tins, on display on the C.bio terrace

The name: cibreo is a homely Tuscan ragout or stew of chicken giblets once made by Fabio Picchi's mother; the leftovers were minced with artichokes and added to spinach pie. Apparently it was scrumptious although it is not on offer at any of his restaurants.
 

There is a Cibreo Café, Trattoria and Restaurant; the Teatro del Sale; an Asian fusion food bar, or 'Tuscan Oriental' called Cibleo; a stand in the Sant'Ambrogio market selling organic meat products; and now, since 2018, there is also an organic supermarket called C.Bio (Cheebeeo).

Cibreo's signature starters: tomato gelatine mould and turmeric yogurt mould

All are worth a visit. I confess to being a frequent customer at the Cibreo Café where the service is friendly, the food simple but excellent and the setting characteristic; tables are also available outside. In the trattoria the food is almost the same while the restaurant offers more elegant fare.

Fabio Picchi is a dynamo: apart from running four restaurants, the Teatro del Sale which is a members' only café dansant with nightly entertainment and buffet meals at a reasonable price, publishing a series of books about Florence, cooking and other passions, he also holds cooking courses, presides over the butcher's shop in the market and if often to be seen in his recently opened organic supermarket, C.Bio.
 

fruit display publicizing C.Bio

 This last is a delight. A bit pricey, but worth every cent. Only here and at Eataly can you buy great bread (Tuscan bread generally leaves a lot to be desired, being without salt but also without soul), sourdough and otherwise. 


The groceries are best quality and there is a good selection of fruit and vegetables as well as an eclectic assortment of household items.  

Perhaps the most simpatico aspect is that, on a nice day, you can buy food from the delicatessen/tavola calda section which they pack for you in a basket to take up to their garden terrace where you can enjoy it at a table amongst the plants...not a mean feat for inner-city Florence.

some of the good things on offer at the delicatessen section

 
The eating places are open 7 days a week and there are no reservations for the cafe or the trattoria.
For more information see the Cibreo website