It’s noon in Florence, and you find a spot on the steps of the Duomo. After a bitterly cold winter, you feel your skin gladly soak up the sun shining down on you. You watch passersby marvel at Brunelleschi’s masterpiece. It’s lunchtime and you’re starved. As you bite into the salt-less bread of your panino you feel the flavors of the fresh savory meat and cheese excite your taste buds. You smile to yourself, and think, ‘Is there anything more perfect than this?’ For vacationers and students studying abroad in Italy, the panino at pranzo (lunch) is one of the most memorable parts of Italian culture.

When did the Italian panino become so popular? I spoke with one of the original sources in Florence, and then to the maestro’s who brought the authentic panino to New York City. Located off the beaten path, and nestled under the Arch of St. Peter is Antico Noè, one of the oldest and most famous paninerie (sandwich shops) in Florence. If you’ve studied abroad in the medieval city you have undoubtedly heard of or visited the shop, which at lunchtime is bound to have lines of hungry people spilling out the door. According to co-owner Luca Bruzzi, “There are historical records that indicate that the shop was around as early as 1561.”