Travel bucket list idea:
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
The Florentines are quite traditional in what they eat and justly proud of their local cuisine which is hearty, rustic, and based on simple ingredients such as bread, pulses, meat and poultry, fresh veg and olive oil, all prepared with the minimum of fuss. Typical seasonal ingredients include artichokes and porcini mushrooms, wild boar, rabbit, pork, game and excellent beef.
Wash it down with one of the robust local red wines; Tuscany is Italy’s premier wine-growing region producing from Chianti Classico in the hills between Florence and Siena to the highly-rated (and highly-priced) Super Tuscans from the Bolgheri zone on the coast.
Meals are traditionally divided into antipasti (starters), primi (soup, pasta), secondi (meat, fish) and dolce (dessert).
Tuscan specialities include crostini (rustic liver paté on toast), bruschetta (toast laced with new-season’s olive oil), ribollita (vegetable, bean and bread soup), pappardelle con la lepre (pasta with hare sauce), arista (roast loin of pork) and the famous bistecca alla fiorentina (T-bone steak). Also see Nicky’s round-ups of traditional Italian foods you must try in Italy.
A local trattoria will usually offer a perfectly drinkable, cheap and cheerful house plonk (red is a better bet). More sophisticated regional wines include the famous Super-Tuscans, Brunello, Chianti Classico and Vino Nobile; ask the wine waiter for advice.
Florence’s eating and drinking scene is varied and lively taking in several white-cloth, Michelin-starred establishments serving gourmet food with all the bells and whistles, contemporary ‘osterie’ where young chefs riff on their Mum’s recipes and homely trattorias where they dish up textbook versions of Florentine classics.
For a quick bite, try one of the traditional tripperie (tripe stands) that are the Florentine equivalent of street food stalls; menus feature stewed or cold-dressed tripe and lampredotto (cow’s stomach), often eaten in a bun.
An enoteca (wine bar) is another good bet for a glass and a snack.
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Experience
The first floor of Florence’s traditional produce market, Centrale Mercato, was transformed in 2014 into a dazzling food hall where producers offer everything from freshly-made mozzarella, truffle pasta, barbequed ribs, artisan bread and cheeses to hand-made chocolates. Pair a guided tour (to find ingredients) with a Tuscan cooking class after.
Good for age: 18+
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Experience
Gelato (ice cream) was invented in Florence in the 16th-century, where it first appeared during banquets at the Medici court. For five days in late May, this festival celebrates this fact with a festival dedicated to all things gelato (including frozen cocktails).
Good for age: 8+
Duration: 5 days
When: Late May
Freq: annually
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Experience
This hole-in-the-wall ice cream shop (on pretty Piazza della Passera in the Oltrarno) dishes up some of the best gelato in the city centre, all made in small batches from fresh ingredients and without any kind of artificial flavourings. Think pistachio, pink grapefruit, zabaglione and coffee; flavours move with the seasons.
Good for age: 4+
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Experience
This small wine bar specialises in wines from small, independent producers and always has something interesting on offer. Order one of the bubbling, melted cheese-topped crostini to soak it up; the one with truffle-infused sausage is particularly good.
Good for age: 18+
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Experience
For visitors who want to learn to make as well as eat the local specialities, this cooking school is a good place to start. Hands-on classes taught by pro chefs include making pasta, pizza, gelato, Tuscan meat and vegetarian. You can opt to tour the Central Market first too.
Adult price: £100
Good for age: 13+
Duration: 3-4 hours
When: Daily
Freq: daily
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Experience
This tiny, off-piste café and pasticceria with its old-fashioned atmosphere and green boiserie makes some of the best cakes and pastries in the city. It’s famous for its divine flourless chocolate cake, but also for fruit tarts, puff pastry sfoglie, buttery croissant and excellent coffee.
Good for age: 18+
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Experience
A historic, atmospheric old café famous for its tiny, delicate truffle sandwiches, best sampled with a glass of the house (Antinori) fizz. You can also buy fresh truffles here when in season.
Good for age: 18+
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Experience
Committed foodies should look out for this annual food and drink fair held in late March that attracts producers, buyers – and droves of foodie punters – from all over Italy and beyond. Held in Fortezza da Basso.
Good for age: 18+
Duration: One weekend
When: Late March
Freq: annually
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Ribollita
As a rule of thumb (although there are some notable exceptions), steer clear of the most touristy areas when you are searching for somewhere to eat in Florence. There are few good restaurants near the Duomo, for example, while neighbourhoods such as Santa Croce, the Sant’Ambrogio market area and San Niccolò are far more interesting gastronomically speaking, and this is where the Florentines go to eat.
The Oltrarno neighbourhood, south of the river, has a particularly buzzy and eclectic dining and drinking scene.
