Breakfast/Brunch.

Le Menagere: Go there for lunch, dinner, coffee, pick up flowers, it’s all concept and cool. 

Dolci e Dolcezze: In Piazza Cesare Beccaria, 8r, Firenze -  it’s always a true favorite. These pastries are to die for.

Cibreo Caffè: The perfect spot to bring a guest and have an espresso before hitting up the local market. 

Ditta Artigianale: Great brunch options & coffee.

Four Seasons in Florence: Offers up a gorgeous brunch and a wonderful atmosphere.

Maleluca: Australian owned and run café and bakery on the river in Florence, that serves brunch on the river, specialty coffee and homemade pastry (special suggestion: cinnamon rolls).

Restaurants

La Giostra: Run by an Austrian royal family, the space boasts the perfect ambience for a romantic night out with candle-lit tables and deep red wines in beautiful glass decanters.

Il Santo Bevitore: It’s best known for serving nouveau-Tuscan osteria-style food in an elegant-rustic setting.

Buca Lapi: A traditional Tuscan restaurant that offers a full menu of Florentine favorites.

Cibreo Trattoria: Very very good! It’s one of the city’s most iconic and much-loved restaurants for gastronomic goodness in the city’s Sant’Ambrogio neighborhood.

Gilda’s Bistro in Sant’ambrogio is cozy and cool, with excellent quirky and classy down-home Italian food eatery in an area of town where you can be sure you’ll eat better.  

Ristorante del Fagioli is a favorite for both locals and visitors from abroad. They have an excellent Florentine steak and nice wines. I go for  the bistecca alla fiorentina and lardo crostini.

Arà: Here you can try typical Sicilian dishes which means plenty of fish, cannoli, and arancini.

 Il Pizzaiuolo is impressing locals with their Napoletana style pizza.

Alla Vecchia Bettola: Traditional Tuscan in a pretty spot near piazza tasso.

 Il Locale: Great cocktails & food.

 Ciblèo: The most delicate and refined oriental cuisine meets tasty tuscan traditions. I really loved this restaurant! If you want to try something else than just traditional tuscan food - this is the place to go (booking is essential).

Regina Bistecca: The restyling of Regina Bistecca restaurant had to take into account the historicity of the place where since 1870 one of the oldest and most historic antique bookshops, with an art gallery, was located. The objective was to preserve the unique atmosphere of a historical place in which to offer a gratifying experience merging food, art and history.

Trattoria Camillo: We love it! Trattoria Cammillo is that kind of old-world, white-tablecloth, monogrammed-plates place that serves up simple Tuscan food, elevated with perfect ingredients and careful preparation.

Antica Macelleria Cecchini: One of Italy's renowned butchers is now a chef! At Solociccia or Officina della Bistecca, enjoy a unique menu served at a specific time—featuring meat or a vegetarian option. .

Panini

Semel in Sant’ Ambrogio is an quintessential Florentine spot. You can enjoy small sandwiches with high-quality ingredients like anchovies, fennel, and orange.

I Fratellini: Open since 1875, the tiny sandwich shop specializes in bread filled with a combination of local ingredients. 

All’antico vinaio: Here you can taste stuffed focaccia with the best traditional flavors.

Pollini in Sant’Ambrogio: This is not a restaurant but a famous kiosk where you can eat the panino with lampredotto, all prepared according to the traditional recipe. Lampredotto is a local specialty, and the city’s original fast food. It’s a sandwich composed of tripe stewed in a tomato and herb sauce, chopped and squashed into a bread roll, and doused in a hot salsa verde.

Caffè Dogali: This is my favorite Panini Place. It is a little bit outside the city center but if you live close by you should definitely try it out.

Aperitivo

Caffè Gilli: While the bar that birthed the Negroni is consigned to history, a visit to Caffè Gilli is arguably the next best thing.  

Procacci has two things going for it as an aperitivo destination. First, it’s a wine bar, so the selection of wines (including plenty of sparkling options) is exceptionally good. And second, many of the tasty panini are made with truffles. My personal favorite!

Ditto Artigianale: coffee during the day and aperitivo at night.

Cibreo Caffè: In the picturesque district of Sant’Ambrogio in Florence, Cibrèo is one of those rare and wonderful cafés that accompanies us through every moment of the day, from breakfast to the aperitif, with a charm made of timeless decor, the scent of good things, and a theatrical allure (a favorite!!!).

Sesto on Arno: A rooftop bar is nearly always a nice idea in the summer—and when the views overlook a city like Florence, it’s an even better idea. 

Il Santino is a cozy wine bar serving up fine wines and top-notch snacks.

Gelato

Gelateria di Medici: My absolute favorite. Try the cream di Medici - it is amazing!  

Vivoli: Florence's oldest gelateria serves everything from gelato and cookies to rice puddings and a number of traditional Florentine frozen desserts (must try: Affogato

Badiani: Badiani is one of the historical ice cream shops in town. Back in 1979 they even invented a new gelato flavour named Buontalenti (in honor of a Florentine architect who lived during the Renaissance) and they still proudly keep its recipe a secret, so if you want to try it out you have no choice but to go there.

To Do

Boboli Garden: Connected to the Palazzo Pitti, the Boboli Gardens are immense and beautiful.

Sant’ambrogio: Mercato Alimentare Sant'Ambrogio offers fresh food and other goods, from around 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM every day except Sunday. Overall this is our favorite food market - the experience is authentic, the service is friendly, and there are usually more Florentines than tourists - not to mention all the great food!

Ponte Vecchio: Walk onto this fantastic bridge and look at the various shops and vendors – You will find jewelers, art dealers, and souvenir shops.

Duomo: Possibly the most celebrated cathedral in the world, the Duomo as it is simply known in Florence is the jewel of the city.

Piazzale Michelangelo: This square offers the best view of Florence and of the Cathedral in the entire city. Have a Spritz on the stairs of the Piazzale and enjoy the beautiful sunset.  

Ufizzi: Located just off of the Piazza della Signoria, the Uffizi Palace and Gallery is a renowned art museum and is considered one of the most important Italian museums in the world.

Antinori nel Chianti Classico: A story that began in 1385. A historical link with the Chianti Classico region. A place where tradition and innovation coexist in perfect harmony. A winery that reveals the past, present and future of the Antinori family.