Keeping Cultural Cuisine: Venezuela in the Heart of Florence

Coperto at L'Areperia is only 1.50 euros per person, making the establishment more accessible to a variety of economic backgrounds.

Pizza, pasta, calzones, and wines are all facets of Italian cuisine tourists and locals initially think about when they think of Florence, Italy. The tourist destination is sprawling with “ristorantes” and “trattorias” filled with these traditional Florentine meals. Hidden among these establishments is an extremely unique restaurant.

L'Areperia is on Via della Mosca in Florence, Italy.

The Venezuelan establishment known as L’Areperia sits near the edge of the Arno River, down the street from the Uffizi and Ponte Vecchio Bridge. This restaurant provides a new Hispanic cultural aspect of Florence for people of all backgrounds to come and experience.

L'Areperia has expanded their business to accept a variety of food delivery service orders. Uber Eats and Just Eat are their biggest companies that they deliver through.

Traditional Venezuelan Dishes in L’Areperia

When thinking about what types of meals populate the households of many Venezuelans, the arepa is the first to come to mind. They are circular corn patties cooked to a crisp, which are very similar to bread.

Arepas come from the Spaniards when they conquered the land that is now Columbia. The indigenous groups in that land had corn which was the base for the creation of the arepas we know today.

Arepas, though they can be served plain or traditionally, can also be cut open in the middle and filled with a multitude of fillings. Arepas like this are usually stuffed with cheese, butter and avocados and served on the side with a variety of other Venezuelan dishes. This stuffed arepa is known as the arepa rellena.

One pair of tourists had never heard of such a dish before attending the restaurant, speaking to the owner before they sat down to properly identify what they’d be eating at L’Areperia.

Jeff and Sydney, a married couple visiting from Oregon, attest to the unique and wonderful flavors that the arepas provide. Very different from their traditional American food and the Mexican spots they frequent so much in the States, Jeff points out just how new and different these arepas from L’Areperia really are.

Jeff and Sydney just traveled from Greece and had never tried Venezuelan food before, but said it was one of the best meals they'd had so far in Italy.

Jeff said, “In Oregon, we have a lot of Mexican restaurants we go to where we’ve even become friends with the owners of those restaurants. Venezuelan food is completely different from Mexican food.”

At L’Areperia, the arepa is their menu’s focal point. Over five different selections of arepas can be ordered at the restaurant. Some of these arepa selections have fillings with avocado cream and chicken, beef and white cheese, black beans and white cheese, ham and tomatoes and onions.

Though expecting authentic Italian dining to be the only source of food in the city of Florence, this couple was surprised to taste the flavors of Venezuela on their journey through the Eastern Mediterranean. Rolling out of the restaurant from the delicious arepas, they thanked the waiters for their great experience trying a new dish in an unexpected place.

Additionally, arroz con pollo (rice and chicken) and arroz con frijoles (rice and beans) are popular dishes as well. Alejandro Suarez, a cook at the restaurant, loves the place he works because of this variety of meals.

Alejandro said, “My favorite food here is rice and chicken, as it reminds me of my home in Colombia. I left Colombia because my life there wasn’t good, and the economy was very bad. Now, in Florence, I have a better life and more stability. I’ve been working here for three months, and I love it.”

Alejandro is going to school in Florence while working at L'Areperia. This has provided him with a steady income to help pay for school while he's here.

The employees of this restaurant like Alejandro have personal experiences with the dishes they are employed to create at this establishment. This makes each meal authentic to Venezuelan and Hispanic culture, as well as maintaining a high level of taste and quality with each food item on the extensive menu.

The History of L’Areperia

Ten years ago, Sonya Ortua, the owner of L’Areperia, and her three sons moved from Venezuela to Florence after the fall of the Venezuelan economy. The family fell on hard times and knew they had to make a change to survive.

Before moving to Florence, Sonya had a L’Areperia location open in Venezuela. The origins of this establishment date back to the roots of Sonya’s home, which has influenced the aesthetic of the current restaurant.

The brick walls that break up the paint on the walls were by design and meant to indicate a typical Venezuelan house's interior.

Sticking out amongst the Italian signs and businesses is the L’Areperia logo, fully in Spanish. The restaurant’s interior chairs and tables are akin to a home in Venezuela, their worn wooden edges like the furniture found in a living room.

The use of the color red in the napkins and menus pays homage to the red color found in the Venezuelan flag.

The walls are decorated with paintings of the coasts of Venezuela. Statues and figures of wooden parrots and native artwork hang from the ceilings. Everything in the establishment screams Venezuela, allowing customers to be fully immersed in the traditional Venezuelan food they’re enjoying.

The Community Behind the Cuisine

Another very well-known cultural cuisine in Venezuela introduced by this Florentine restaurant is their empanadas. Very similar to their arepas, the empanadas are made with cornbread and stuffed with beef and chicken fillings.

These empanadas are then baked until completely crispy on the outside. The corn portion of the empanadas wraps the meat into place, releasing the flavors of its delicious interior at that first bite.

Usually consumed in a handheld fashion, empanadas are a staple for anyone trying to make it to work on time or rushing to get breakfast in before their next appointment of the day.

These empanadas, along with a nice serving of cafe (coffee), are two of the menu items patrons find popular to eat in the mornings with L’Areperia. This attracts a large population of Italians to the restaurant because of these quick bites and allows for the cultural foods of Venezuela to grow in popularity amongst Florence and its people.

The restaurant always clears out of their empanada selection by lunchtime, and their dirty coffee cups stack high in the kitchen sinks after patrons use them to enjoy their coffee. Eventually, these patrons of their breakfast items become long-standing members of the restaurant’s community, finding commonalities amongst other Venezuelans in the city from attending the restaurant.

The large window in front of the restaurant brings in natural light for patrons to enjoy as they sit and eat in the establishment. Very few interior lights are used within L'Areperia.

Venezuelans in this province find a community within the walls of L’Areperia, drinking Coronas and chatting about their days by the beautiful gazebo that garnishes the back wall of the restaurant. The owner of the restaurant, Sonya Ortua opened her restaurant for this exact reason.

Sonya sits with her friends who come in at the restaurant, always jumping into conversations with them whenever she has some spare time between seating people down and talking to her employees.

Sonya said, “I opened my restaurant here because it’s different than the pasta and pizza typically found in Florence here. The Latinos in Florence had no Hispanic food in the city. It was impossible to find Hispanic food years ago, and so I wanted to provide a place for Hispanic cuisine to exist in Florence.”

Sonya sits and talks to regulars that come into her store and share similar experiences to her from Venezuela, Colombia, and across South America. There is never a dull moment in L’Areperia with Sonya around, inviting people to join in on conversations as they enjoy their arepas and inviting incoming patrons to sit and view the menu.

Sonya explained that “It’s important to introduce people to foods from your home. It’s time that food like arepas gets introduced to Florence from Venezuela to the people that live here.”

Even the tres leches (three milks) for dessert add a new experience that is impossible to find anywhere else in the city. L'Areperia expands the cultural makeup of Florence and makes the city that much more culturally rich of a place to visit.