Last week we went on a couple of very interesting excursions that helped deepen our understanding of the food systems here in Florence. The first site that we went to was the Mercafir market, which is just on the outskirts of the city. We arrived at the train station very early in the morning to grab taxis to the Market. After a quick taxi ride which I was still half asleep for we arrived at the market. The outside of the market looked like a large industrial park with a gate in the front of it. Once inside we met the Manager of the market who showed us around and explained the details he market. He was very indulging in any questions we had and did a great job getting into detail about the produce system in Florence through the help of Professor Clive Woollard who handled the translating. We were explained to us that the fresh produce coming through this market serves surrounding Tuscany and is the wholesaler of most restaurants and smaller markets in the city.

After we arrived back in the city we met Professor Peter Fischer for our walking tour. It didn't seem that most people in our group were too excited to go on an extensive walking tour after waking up earlier than usual but I think by the end of it we were all very interested and happy to see the parts of the city we probably wouldn't have found on our own. Peter took us to many restaurants and cafe's throughout town, which all seemed like hidden gems that I would not have stumbled upon on my own. It was also nice to go to these places after the wholesale market so that we could see the ending of this food system from the Mercafir to the end seller.