Happy Thursday, everyone! I hope you’re having a great week, and that you enjoyed my last post about things to see and do in the beautiful city of Florence. As I usually do, I’m following up that post with a list of the best places to eat in the city! Admittedly, between our daytrips and all the sightseeing we did, we actually didn’t do too much eating in Florence itself, but we did find a few real gems that I thought were worth mentioning. So this will be a short (but sweet) post! I’ll kick off the list with my very favourite restaurant we visited…
Osteria Filetto d’Oro – Located in the city centre about halfway between the Duomo and the Uffizi Gallery, this Tuscan restaurant is known for its gorgeous interiors as much as for its delicious pasta. The atmosphere is rustic, romantic and cozy, with exposed brick walls, dim lighting and gold accents. Tania ordered the cacio e pepe, and I got the tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms and truffle. The pasta was so yummy and the portions were huge! Combine that with the great wine and charming décor, and you’ve got one fabulous restaurant. One other thing I loved: they don’t skimp on the bread!
Rivarno Café – We stumbled upon this delightful spot when we were looking for a bite to eat before embarking on our Tuscan wine tour (see my last post to read all about that experience!) Rivarno has two locations in Florence: we went to the one in the Santa Maria Novella neighbourhood, which is located just a 10-minute walk from Florence’s central train station. We were immediately enticed by its charming sidewalk patio, but if you prefer to dine indoors, the interior – which is decorated like an old library – is just as lovely. I love the way the dark wood paneling contrasts with the bright green furniture and accents, from the elegant coffee bar to the bold striped chandelier to the glossy La Marzocco espresso machine. The café specializes in healthy lunch fare like salads, wraps and sandwiches. Tania ordered a panini with Brie and mixed vegetables, and I got a salad topped with chicken, avocado, walnuts and shredded cheese, and we shared everything. Both dishes were fresh and tasty, and after so many meals of pizza and pasta, it felt good to get some greens in! I also ordered an Aperol Spritz, because, when in Italy…
View On Art Rooftop Bar – Florence has one of the prettiest skylines in the world, so it only makes sense that the city has a large concentration of rooftop bars. Who doesn’t love cocktails with a view? Of course, with a lot of these bars, you’ll be paying a hefty premium for the view. When we were on our Tuscan wine tour, one of our fellow tour-goers told us about an amazing rooftop bar where the drinks aren’t exorbitantly expensive: View on Art. This bar is located on the top floor of the Hotel Medici, and it has fabulous views of the city! We were so close to the Duomo and Bell Tower that it almost felt like we could reach out and touch them. The cocktails here run about 12 Euros on average – not exactly cheap, but very reasonable compared to prices at other rooftop bars, where you can expect to pay 15-20 Euros per drink. I got an Aperol Spritz and Tania got a glass of rosé. If you’re looking for a beautiful but affordable rooftop bar in Florence, I highly recommend this spot!
Gelato – Of course, one can’t vacation in Italy without eating a little (or a lot) of gelato! I mean, a daily gelato is practically a requirement when you’re in Italy. Now, I’m exaggerating just a little – Tania and I didn’t get gelato every day – but we sure did eat a lot of it! Some days, if we’d had a bigger lunch and weren’t too hungry for dinner, we simply got a gelato instead. Ice cream for dinner isn’t something I’d ever do here at home, but isn’t it funny how traveling brings out a different side of you!? (Tania calls my travel alter-ego “Vacation Steph”, and I’ve heard she’s a pretty good time.) There are gelato shops everywhere in Florence – you practically can’t walk a block without stumbling across one or two, at least in the touristy areas – so I’m not going to claim to know which are best. However, I will share which ones we enjoyed: Studio Gelato, My Sugar and Caffè Fiorenza (pictured below in that order). I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these gelato spots on a trip to Florence!
Alinari Café – This bakery and café is located right by Florence’s central train station, Santa Maria Novella, which makes it a convenient stop for hungry travelers. Right before we boarded our train to Rome, Tania and I stopped in and got a pistachio cannoli to share for the ride. Perhaps I’m sentimental because this was the last thing I ate in Florence, but I thought it was so good!
Nino & Friends – Technically this is a shop, not a restaurant or café, so you may be wondering why it’s on this list. But if we’re talking about places to eat, this is definitely a place where we did a whole lot of eating (and drinking) during our trip! This gourmet Italian food shop has locations in several Italian cities – we came across their stores in Venice, Florence and on the Amalfi Coast – and sells a wide variety of sweet and savoury treats. Nino’s storefronts are hard to miss – just look for the Willy Wonka-esque chocolate fountains in the window, and the long line of visitors out the door! Nino’s staff are so welcoming and are always handing out free samples of something yummy, whether it’s their delectable chocolate truffles (which range in flavours from caramel to hazelnut to pistachio), cream-filled cookies (the cappuccino flavour is my personal pick) or limoncello-filled candies. You can also sample limoncello liqueur, and if you’re lucky, a staff member might be serving up freshly-cooked pasta that you can dip into their pistachio pesto sauce. Our Nino obsession started in Venice, where they have multiple locations, and turned into a bit of a running joke on the trip. It seemed that every time one of us mentioned we were hungry, we’d stumble across a Nino store just a few blocks away! Honestly, we probably consumed an entire meal’s worth (at least) of Nino samples on this trip.
Well, now that I’m craving pasta, chocolate and gelato, I’m off to enjoy a decidedly less indulgent dinner of salad with grilled chicken. (Hey, vacations don’t last forever!) Luckily, we do still have some of those lemon candies in our kitchen cupboard… and I think they’ll be calling my name for dessert tonight.
I’d love to hear from those of you who’ve been to Italy – what did you think of the food!? Did you have any favourite restaurants or dishes in particular? Let me know in the comments or send me an email; I’d love to hear your thoughts!