20 August 2026
Florence
For those who have not yet tried the delights of the Florentia Café in Palazzo Castri, with a menu enriched with proposals strictly based on products related to seasonality, the spring period could certainly be a good solution, since the Florentia Café will open the doors of the garden "La Limonaia" for lunch and dinner - or sip a pleasant glass of wine as an aperitif - immersed in a comfortable and exclusive location.
To get a better explanation of what the gastronomic concept of Florentia Café originates from, we had a word with head chef Laura Villa, who heads the kitchen at Palazzo Castri.
Laura, tell us a little bit about your Professional History: what world are you from?
My professional history was born in Siena in a restaurant in the historic center where I had the opportunity to work alongside experienced, passionate, eclectic chefs, where classic catering and banqueting activities were joined. I started as a support staff, I held many roles away from the top of the brigade ; I had in those years the necessary time and the opportunity to understand the sacrifice this job requires and the value of humility, to learn from those with important professional experience.
Being at the helm of the kitchen of an important and beautiful establishment like Palazzo Castri I imagine makes quite an impression: what does it feel like, and what are the biggest challenges you feel you want to face with your work?
Palazzo Castri is a virtuous reality that requires a great sense of responsibility to customers. I share the management's commitment to the customer lifecycle, and beyond professionalism, my job is aimed at ensuring that the catering service meets expectations and, above all, is attentive to the requests received. Through constant training, my goal is to be able to identify the possible needs of our customers and be able to meet them . The biggest challenge is to be able to always be able to guarantee what is requested of me.
How did you...find your love and passion for cooking?
I found my love for cooking in my family, the family where I was born. I grew up with the idea that cooking is not an obligatory act, but it is a way to take care of someone. The passion, on the other hand, I learned from my grandmother and my mother. It was from them that I learned the respect for raw materials , the desire to carry on gastronomic traditions linked to one's own territory and then to seek them out in every place where I lived and worked.
In a reality increasingly tending toward homogenization, conformity, and the massive display of food, recipes and culinary offerings on all digital platforms, how do we still keep private, sacred, our relationship with Food and what the table offers us?
The current reality , in which the food business and its massive exposure represents an important segment of our economy , I believe is to be seized in terms of opportunity . Food professionals or simple enthusiasts today have the opportunity to personalize taste , to use food technologies to make food a private , artistic , sought-after experience . The consumer is not interested in satisfying a need and from us professionals they ask for attention to the raw material, the supply chain, and even more today they ask for knowledge of the Guidelines for healthy eating that passes through special diets and the maximum healthiness of the food processed and administered.
One last curiosity: what will be the highlight (main course) of your menu at Palazzo Castri?
The strength of my menu at Palazzo Castri brings together what has been said so far; in our gastronomic offer there is the need to feel part of a pleasant experience , not vague, but concrete, authentic, which rests on the continuous search for professional growth. The dish that represents us is linked to the territory, seasonality , contains traditional Tuscan food products processed in a reasoned way, with simplicity and love. Right now we are serving a fresh pasta with Tuscan kale, zolfino beans and rigatino finocchiato! We are waiting for you!
