The three things guaranteed to delight me most are food, Renaissance art and new gadgets. When Google invited me to take a “foodie” trip to Tuscany to test the latest smartphone technology it would not be an exaggeration to say that I accepted with alacrity.
The Google phone responds to voice and is stirred into action by the words “Hey, Google”. As an Englishman I’m already uncomfortable with that level of informality. I’d prefer it to respond to “I say . . .” or perhaps a discreet cough. It is equipped with maps, staggering amounts of information and a translation app. In short, nearly everything the Englishman on a Grand Tour might need.
It’s time for lunch and, though the phone suggests any number of nearby restaurants, I want to test it with a more realistically foodie challenge. Florence is justly famous for its tripe sandwiches, something I always recommend visitors try. The map function gets me to the Mercato Centrale – still a working food market with all the colour and bustle that implies but now also a tourist destination. I queue for about 20 minutes for my lampredotto then, at the counter, I address my phone: “May I have a tripe sandwich please?” “Posso avere un panino trippa per favore?” it declaims in a husky female voice.