Florence in 24 hours: a quick guide to the city. Twelve places you shouldn’t miss, where you can enjoy breakfast, lunch, aperitivo and dinner, soaking up all the city’s artistic richness and culinary delights. From Rivalta to Frescobaldi, Quinoa to La Casalinga, to the trendiest eateries of the moment: Ditta Artiginale and La Ménagère.
*Credits foto apertura: Golden View Open Bar
Breakfast – Via dei Ginori
La Ménagère
La Ménagère is a bistro, cocktail bar, restaurant, shop for kitchen accessories and florist. It also hosts a number of events and concerts. La Ménagère was the first shop for Florentine housewives, having opened in 1896. Today it is known for its stylish design, curated by Florence-based Studio q-bic, currently one of the most popular design studios in Italy. The breakfast here is very generous and popular with an international crowd. You can enjoy muffins (2.50 euros), cupcakes (3.50), cookies (3.60), croissants and other sweet treats.
La Ménagère, via dei Ginori, 8 Florence. Tel. 055 0750600. Facebook
Breakfast – Via dei Neri
Ditta Artiginale
There’s nothing better than starting the day with a good cup of coffee. Ditta Artiginale is the spot coffee lovers should know about, here you’ll find blends from Kenya, El Salvador, Colombia, Guatemala and Ethiopia. The coffee is served and sold fresh, a month after roasting. You pay a price for such quality, an ‘espresso jump’ is 1.50 euros and the price of the ‘espresso speciale’ varies depending on the blend used that day. They only use milk from the Palagiaccio farm in their cappuccini (2 euros), and the milk is only whipped once and kept at a temperature below 58° to avoid caramelising the natural sugars. There’s also a vast selection of tea (3-5 euros) and infusions (4 euros). For breakfast you can choose from muffins (2.50), cupcakes (3.50), cookies (3.60), croissants and various baked goods (1.20). Since a few months ago Ditta Artiginale has also opened another cafe called Oltrarno in via dello Sprone.
Ditta artigianale, via dei Neri, 32/r e via dello Sprone, Florence. Tel. 055 274 1541 Facebook
Lunch – Piazza della Repubblica
Irene
Irene is a tuscan bistro opened under the Savoy. It’s the perfect spot for a break between visiting a museum and shopping in via Calzaiuoli, especially in good weather when you can sit at the tables outside in piazza della Repubblica. The menu is put together by Fulvio Pierangelini, a chef who has already been awarded by Gambero Rosso, and who focuses on using local seasonal produce, reinterpreting traditional recipes. For lunch it’s best to take advantage of the formula uno, due, tre which will cost between 15, 20 and 25 euros. It’s more than enough to choose one, two or three dishes from the day menu. We recommend the red chickpea from Valdarno and rosemary soup, the cod and white truffle millefeuille, the wild leaves salad, the apple and vanilla pastry, and the cinnamon ice cream.
Irene, piazza della Repubblica, 7 Florence Tel 055 27 35 891 Facebook
Lunch – Via di Santa Maria Maggiore
Quinoa
Quinoa is Florence’s first gluten-free restaurant. It’s positioned perfectly on the ground floor of the Palazzo Giovane, which includes a large courtyard area that’s lovely in the summer months. The menu changes almost every month because it only features seasonal produce from the region. Starters (10-13 euros) include: bolognese lasagne au gratin, gnocchi with mussels and clams, panzanella (bread salad) with quinoa, melon and organic feta. For the main course (11-14 euros), we recommend bite-sized soy in a vegetable curry with basmati rice or roast beef carpaccio with radish, grains and balsamic, and hummus with a sea bass salad and cherry tomatoes. Don’t miss the Asian dishes, such as the Thai jasmine rice in cantonese style. There’s a large variety of salads to choose from (12-14 euros): Greek, Oslo, Nicoise, Tropical, Valtellina, Octopus, Chicken and Seafood. There are also pizzas (10-12 euros), such as the Margherita, Parma Ham and Mushroom, Parmigiana (aubergine and parmesan cheese), Napoli, and Grilled Vegetables. Home made desserts cost 5 euros.
Quinoa, vicolo di Santa Maria Maggiore, 1 Florence. Tel. 055 290876 Facebook
Lunch – Via della Rosina
Trattoria Mario
Trattoria Mario is in the heart of San Lorenzo. It’s the place to head to if you love Tuscan cuisine, there’s ribollita soup, pappa al pomodoro soup, fiorentina steak. All the ingredients come from the nearby market and the menu, written on the board by hand, changes every day. The restaurant doesn’t accept bookings or credit cards. You have to wait in the queue and then be seated wherever there’s space, often sharing your table with other customers. The trattoria is open only for lunch. In 2013 the restaurant celebrated it’s seventieth birthday and the staff’s shirts have become something of a status symbol.
Trattoria Mario, via Rosina 2/r, Facebook
Aperitivo – Lungarno Corsini
Rivalta Cafe
The Rivalta Cafe takes their cocktail-making very seriously. For aperitivo (costing between 10-12 euros) you can try the locally produced Bocca di Rosa, Florentine Vodka, Santa Maria Novella Rose Liqueur, Doctor Scafuro’s Lemon Twist, the Well Done with Johnny Walker Red Label, Coconut Vermouth from Turin, Santa Maria Novella Alchermes Liqueur, Peychaud’s Bitter and Ginger Ale, the Corsini with Tanqueray Ten, Classic Chianti, and the Cocchi Americano. To keep it short, these are unusual creations worth tasting.
Rivalta Cafè, lungarno Corsini 12-14/r, Florence. Tel. 055 289810. Facebook
Aperitivo – Piazza della Signoria
Rivoire
Not only a great place for chocolate and sweet treats, Rivoire also does fantastic cocktails (costing 8 euros). The drinks menu of this historic cafe in piazza della Signoria includes traditional cocktails and even non-alcoholic versions for children.
Rivoire, piazza della Signoria, Florence. Tel. 055 214412 Facebook
Aperitivo – Via dei Bardi
Golden View
The name – Golden View – says it all. The view is actually extraordinary; whilst sipping on your drink it feels as though you can almost reach out and touch Ponte Vecchio. It’s not just the alcohol going to your head – we promise! The cocktail menu (costing between 10-12 euros) is very original, and gin takes centre stage. There are at least 30 different distilled bottles to choose from.
Golden view, via dei Bardi, 58/r, Florence. Tel. 055 214502 Facebook
Dinner – Via de’ Magazzini
dei Frescobaldi
dei Frescobaldi is a restaurant and wine bar which is also home to a winemakers. In a street crossing piazza della Signoria you’ll find this eatery serving traditional Tuscan cuisine which is paired with the wines. The chef Alessandro Zanieri chooses fine ingredients for a seasonal menu that changes each month. You can certainly count on the wine menu to satisfy every need. We recommend trying the pici (thick spaghetti) with rabbit, olive and thyme ragù (starters cost between 12-15 euros), for a main course (18-28 euros), try the fillet steak with mustard and bitter broad beans, or the guinea-fowl with almonds from the Azienda Agricola Greppi, with a salad of mixed seasonal leaves, raisins and stilton. Home made desserts cost 8 euros.
dei Frescobaldi, via de’ Magazzini, 2/4r, Florence. Tel. 055 284724. Facebook
Dinner – Largo Annigoni
Santarpia
Giovanni Santarpia moved fairly recently to Florence and the pizzeria which takes his name became an immediate hit for those that love a Margherita, Marinara or Napoli. Santarpia serves classic pizza recipes and also the Regina Vesuvio with tomatoes from Piennolo (near Vesuvius), pumpkin and pancetta. There’s also a pizza with friarelli, yellow tomatoes and ricotta, panuozzi (typical Neapolitan sandwich-pizza), fried calzone with provola cheese and ricotta, fried pizza with tomatoes and ricotta, and new recipes such as the Lampredotto by Luca Cai and a pizza topped with Savini truffles. Pizzas cost from 7-9.50 euros.
Santarpia, largo Annigoni, 9/c. Florence. Tel. 055 245829 Facebook
Dinner – Via dei Michelozzi
La Casalinga
This is a trattoria that has kept up its traditional style for years with simple recipes – there’s a true home-cooking feel. You’ll find it a stone’s throw from piazza Santo Spirito and from palazzo Pitti. La Casalinga recently celebrated it’s 50th birthday. Among the few Florentine trattorie that are open also for dinner, you can tuck into delicious Tuscan recipes here. Antipasti (5 euros): crostini and cold cuts, herring fillet marinated in butter and anchovies. For starters (7 euros) there’s ribollita soup, pasata with broad beans, rice and cabbage minestrone, and ravioli with rabbit sauce. For the main courses (10-18 euros), there’s boiled meat with onions, pork loin on the bone, oven-cooked rabbit, excellent Florentine tripe and the famous Florentine steak. Classic side dishes (2.50-3.50 euros) include: chickpeas, broad beans, potatoes and salad. The desserts (4.50 euros) are home made.
La casalinga, via dei Michelozzi, 9/r Florence. Tel. 055 218624 Facebook
Traduzione a cura di Corinna Parker
