During my first week in Florence I was walking around the duomo and saw a sandwich shop close by. I decided to stop in for a quick bite before taking my language placement test for school. Overwhelmed by the amount of options on the menu I chose what I thought would be a simple sandwich, the vegetarian option, which ended up being one of the best sandwiches I had ever eaten.
I have been thinking about that sandwich for the past two months, so when I had the assignment to do another restaurant review, I decided to see if the sandwich was still as good as I remembered it.
The more time I spent in Florence, the more I learned about popular restaurants, sandwich shops, and gelaterias. I even brought a guidebook with me from home which had a list of suggestions for places to eat in Florence. The sandwich shop that I went to during my first week happened to be on that list.
I found out the little shop is called I Fratellini, and apparently it is rated as one of the best sandwich shops in Florence. When I went the first time there was no line, I thought I had discovered my own little sandwich shop in Florence. Turns out everyone knew about this place, because when I went the second time, there was a group of people sitting on the sidewalk across the street eating their sandwiches, and a woman handing out flyers that had the menu on it.
This was the smallest sandwich shop I had ever seen. It literally looked like a hole in the wall. There’s a counter with about two to three feet behind it where the workers made the sandwiches. There was a little hole behind that where the workers would emerge with more supplies and leave when their shift was done. Behind the counter are numerous shelves filled with different bottles of wine. The workers were extremely nice- there were two working at the time. One was taking orders, while the other one rushed to complete everyone’s orders.
I decided to try the vegetarian sandwich again, to see if it was as good as I remembered it. My roommate Joji was with me on this journey, and she decided to get a classic: tomato, mozzarella, and basil.
It took less than five minutes for them to make the sandwiches, and mine was just as good as I remembered it to be. Usually when I get a roasted vegetable sandwich it is bland, and only contains all peppers and onions. This sandwich contained a variety of vegetables that added extra flavor. Not only was it sweet and savory, but the mushrooms and the artichokes added an extra layer of saltiness. You also have the option to add cheese to your sandwich, so I got cream cheese on mine. This complemented the flavors of the vegetables, making it even more delicious. The bread was kept in a little toaster oven, so it was warm, fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. They also added a layer of flavored oil on the bread, which made the bread both crispier and more flavorful. This however made the sandwich a little too oily, which was the only downside of the sandwich.
I would rate the sandwich itself as 3 1/2 stars out of four. I loved this sandwich; how flavorful all the vegetables were mixed together. I would rate the sandwich shop itself as four stars. I loved how cute and old the stand looked, like it had been there for hundreds of years and nothing about it changed. It gave off that aura. Going there it felt like I was joining in with thousands of people before me to get a sandwich from I Fratellini. The workers knew each recipe so well it seemed like those were the original recipes from a hundred years ago, it was passed down.
I did some research on the sandwich shop, and it turns out the original opened in 1875. I’m not sure if this was the same exact stand, or in the same location as the original, but I am glad to know that this business has lasted so long and made a name for itself in Florence. I was worried that because it was in a Florence guidebook it would be extremely touristy, and not have great quality, but I was wrong. They have worked hard to create the perfectly balanced flavor of their sandwiches (or at least with the vegetarian sandwich) and didn’t let their popularity affect them. Also, even though there were lots of tourists around, we did not have to wait long at all to order and get our sandwiches. The two workers in the shop were incredibly cheerful, and quick.
I would recommend I Fratellini to anybody that enjoys sandwiches. If my friends or family come to visit me in Florence, I will bring them to I Fratellini so they can experience what an amazing sandwich is.
Francesca's travels 