What a comfort to know that you don’t have to wait for summer vacation to get a dose of Sicily right here in Florence.  Ara e Sud is a small trattoria with a big Sicilian spirit, just waiting to win you over.  The warm colors and aromas of summer cooking grab hold the minute you walk in the door.  But wait…….can we just do dessert first this time?  Do you know what a unique treat it is to have cannoli made “al momento” (made to order)?

Pastry Shells Waiting To Become Cannoli

These exquisitely crunchy shells are kept cool and dry so that when a cannolo is ordered, the luscious creamy filling is carefully scooped in and then dusted with powdered sugar and crumbled pistachios.  All I can say is Mamma Mia.  If your taste in desserts runs to this type of confection, having one made this way is almost enough to convince you to try to make your own because store-bought is never going to be acceptable again.

Cannoli at Ara e Sud, Florence, Italy. The Real Thing.

Now that dessert’s out of the way, we can talk about the food.  It’s Sicilian.  And how smart to have menu choices that reflect more than just one area of that sunny island.  We dived into our meals and came up smiling:  Busiati (a Sicilian type of twisted texture pasta) in a sauce typical of the area of Trapani made with almonds, garlic and tomatoes.  And baked eggplant, sort of like an eggplant parmeggiano dish, only this one was made with Ragusana cheese….the local product of Commissario Montalbano-land…Ragusa.

Sicilian Lunch at Ara e Sud, Florence, Italy                                                                      

Located in the area of Sante Croce, Ara has two other sister establishments in Florence…..one of them being in the Mercato Centrale.  Good news for all of us because those cannoli are going to make a big name for themselves here!