KCR Spring Summer 2026 Mag final - Flipbook - Page 41
rant Hotel La Gemma, Florence
Florence’s freshest Michelin star is worth
planning your whole trip around.
Positioned pride of place in the Duomo district’s fabulous Hotel La
Gemma, Luca’s restaurant delivers chic, contemporary interiors whose
decidedly green palette has echoes of a Hopper painting.
Ambience is kept fresh with an unimposing soundtrack featuring soft
house in the vein of St Germain and Gotan Project’s electronic tango in
keeping with head chef Paulo Airaudo’s Italian-Argentinian roots.
Airaudo’s menu celebrates the integrity of local Tuscan ingredients
whilst elevating them to an international culinary stage. Having worked
in kitchens in Geneva, London, Columbia and Hong Kong, there’s a
playful edge to Airaudo’s fusion dishes.
As with all exceptional Italian meals, proceedings began with glass of
chilled Derbusco Cives Franciacorta whose lemon posset notes chimed
in with the welcome consommé.
Two whimsical courses followed. The mini-ice-cream cones with salmon
mousse and pistachio were over too soon, but any childish disappointment was soon replaced with pure delight at the sight of tuna tartare
served with caviar and gold leaf.
The perfect pairing for me was an Umbrian Rocca昀椀ore Fior昀椀ore 2022
alongside pillowy bottoni pasta parcels stu昀昀ed with potato and taleggio
and served with vin jaune and razor clams.
For a red which is dry on the nose but juicy on the tongue, sommelier
Marco did well to recommend the Tassinaia 2021, whose robust tar and
leather notes gave way to soft morello cherry, perfectly complimenting
the venison’s deep and plummy reduction.
Palate successfully cleansed by cucumber jelly with lemon sorbet,
followed by a gin jelly for good measure, the dessert course proper consisted of a cheesy panna cotta served with a forty-year-old vinegar which
seemed to have sopori昀椀c powers.
After an excellent night’s sleep in a suite with a Duomo view, breakfast
at Luca’s was no less remarkable. When in Florence, eggs Florentine are
a must, not forgetting a selection of local cheeses and meats.
Fired up with orzo or cappuccino, you’ll be ready to take on the city.
That doesn’t necessarily mean queueing for hours at the U昀케zi. Like
Emily in Rome, you’ll 昀椀nd a number of fashion-forward diversions
in the shape of the new Gucci Museum and café, and the Ferragamo
Museum, where you’ll learn all about the shoemaker to the stars who
counted Marilyn Monroe, Katharine Hepburn and Grace Kelly amongst
his clients.
For another spot just o昀昀 the beaten track, try La Specola, Florence’s
answer to a Museum of Natural History. With the largest taxidermy
collection in Europe, including a stu昀昀ed hippo that once belonged to
the Medicis, it’s sure to be a talking point at lunch. And with apartment
suites at La Gemma kitted out with kitchenettes, you could do what the
locals do and stock up on regional wine and delicacies from Sapori &
Dintorni Conad, just over the other side of the Ponte Vecchio.
Because when the accommodation is this stylish, you simply won’t want
to leave it.
lagemmahotel.com
Estella Rua
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KENSINGTON & CHELSEA REVIEW
