n the 2009 film , the operatic tale of an affair in uptight Milan, Tilda Swinton’s matriarch finds herself entranced by her chef paramour. A taste of prawns with ratatouille becomes a transcendent, out-of-body experience. Dining at Villa San Michele puts me in mind of this euphoric scene. At dinner on a long, vaulted framing painterly views of Florence, I indulge in poached eggs with shavings of asparagus and black truffle, a lemony risotto crowned with fiery red prawns and a richly aromatic local wine. It’s at first bite.
