Will Write When Possible: A Toast to Italian Food: Part I of ???

I'm back from an amazing trip to Italy, and before I write about it, I thought I'd pass along some food photos. After all, that's what this trip was about: Some people tote a sightseeing guidebook; I carried a food lovers' guide to Florence.

I had a food rule I was able to follow about 98% of the time: choose restaurants without English on the menu. This usually got me eating surrounded by Italians and tasting the authentic stuff. If I saw the words "pasta with red sauce," I went the other way.

A great thing about Italy is that even crappy food at the bottom of the chain -- at train stations or right at the steps of a well-photographed statue, i.e. restaurants with English menus -- tasted good. Amen to wonderful ingredients!

I summarize my experience this way: At my favorite restaurant, I didn't want to ask for their bruschetta recipe; I wanted to know where they bought their tomatoes.

And without further adieu, a few photos highlights. It's a cruel transition from Italian food to American food. Thankfully I have photos to remind me of all those wonderful bites. Here's part I of ?:

Italians have un caffe -- an espresso -- and a pastry for breakfast, and although I actually missed my whole-grain-cereal-with-fruit breakfast from home, I always had room for this Nutella-filled treat at Cafe Pacskowski (sp?).

I have no clue how many pounds of tomatoes I consumed, but they were all amazing.

One of my first meals at what would become my favorite restaurant, Osteria Antica Mestica in San Niccolo. Clockwise from the right: crostini Toscani, beans in olive oil and what I call "tripe three ways." All are typical Tuscan favorites -- as is the vino della casa.

A working man's lunch near San Lorenzo market: panini with lamprodotto, the second part of the cow's stomach. The sandwich has a spicy red salsa with a parsley sauce on top.