Everyone loves Tuscany, especially Florence. My love affair with Italy began in 1989 on my first visit to Florence – the imposing Duomo, with its green and pink marble walls and distinctive terracotta-tiled dome, won my heart at first sight.
To this day I love the way you catch glimpses of it from everywhere within the old city. Considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, Florence is home to Michelangelo’s David and his unfinished prigioni, as well as the medieval Ponte Vecchio packed with gorgeous shops down both sides. It’s also home to some of my favourite Italian food and wine. Here are my top tips for a mini food and wine tour of Florence plus a suggestion for how to enjoy more delicious Italian food and wine without the hoards of Tuscan-loving tourist.
Stay in Florence Four Seasons
When in Florence, make like a Medici and stay in this luxuriously restored 15th-century Medici palazzo, surrounded by 2 hectares (5 acres) of private garden and just 15 minutes’ walk from the city centre. Request a room on the first floor (piano noble) with frescoes and original painted terracotta flooring.
Eat in Florence Buca Mario
Locals and tourist alike love this wonderfully atmospheric cellar restaurant with waiters who know how to turn on the Italian charm. This is the place for classic Tuscan cooking, from ribollita (bread and bean soup) and bistecca Fiorentina carved tableside, to luscious fresh egg pasta and a memorable dessert trolley.
Drink in Florence Piazzale Michelangelo
Sometimes a little perspective is a good thing – it’s hard to really see the city, especially the Duomo, when you’re right on top of it. So take the 30-minute walk across the River Arno and up the hill to Piazzale Michelangelo and sip a caffè or aperitivo while looking over the panoramic postcard view.
Shop in Florence Mercato Centrale
Florence’s historic glass-ceilinged Mercato Centrale is one of my favourite Italian food markets. In 2014 it underwent a major refurbishment that created a huge artisanal food court on the first floor while leaving the traditional vendors on ground level. There’s lots to love here, and I can never resist Pany da Lory’s schiacciata (Tuscan flatbread).
Drive from Florence Muraglione Pass & Il Laghetto Ristorante
Florence is beautiful, but it can be packed with tourists. Once you’ve had a taste of its food and wine offerings, hire a car and drive across the Apennines, over the 900-metre Muraglione Pass, and into the lesser-visited, but just as delicious, region of Emilia-Romagna. The views are stunning, especially with a stop just after the summit for a plate of pasta at Il Laghetto Ristorante in San Benedetto in Alpe.
Updated 22 Dec 2023
