| You can still find the genuine atmosphere of the ancient Florentine trattorias at the Antico Fattore, whose walls cradled a meeting place for the creative talents in the arts and literature from 1929 onwards. This was when an extraordinary association was formed; based on a mixture of literature, art, delicious food, Chianti wines, musical notes, discussions, friendship and a touch of worldliness, it was eventually to lead, in 1931, to the creation of the Antico Fattore award. | |
One of the Antico fattore "Wednesday" tickets
| The painters and poets, sculptors and musicians, journalists and critics who ate
in the main dining room had a regular arrangement with Giulio, the proprietor:
guests would come and go, some of them people who lived in the city, others just
staying for a day or two, perhaps to conduct a concert or take part in some
theatrical performance. Countless famous names would animate the Antico Fattore every Wednesday, which
was the set day for the weekly "dinner", and which became a regular pilgrimage
for artists like De Chirico, Morandi, Carra, Andreotti, and later Carena,
Sacchetti Peyron, Bacchelli, Innocenti and Romiti; it is impossible to mention
them all. |
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The kitchen of the Antico Fattore was a real holy of holies and Giulio would only
allow friends or food enthusiasts to enter it. This room, full of the smell of
delectable roasts and sauces, was situated just past the serving counter of the
trattoria. Goodness knows how many stories were written between the oven and the cellar,
with the smell of food and wine naturally playing the part of the main
protagonists.
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