Florence for foodies, our recommendations for an excellent Florence food tour, a walk (without an app!) in the traditions of Tuscany, among delicacies, specialties and all the best dishes in town. If you are a taste explorer looking for typical products of Florence and Tuscany, the most authentic recipes and luxury crafts, Casa Howard will be proud to welcome you in the Library Room, the one designed especially for adventure lovers. Enjoy a fascinating sight from the window (you’re in downtown!) while the books and memories of a thousand and more experiences are pampering you: it’s the finest location to base and start your “mission” through the streets of the Renaissance Capital.
Follow our advices and discover original shops and flavors in one day. And then, lose yourself in the cobbled alleys, find your romantic Florence, its soul. But we think you already know how to do it. It’s your job, it’s your life, isn’t it?
Ready to savor the regional products and visit the artisan boutiques? Here’s for you our “wikipedia” and guide. We begin from a really curious store, Pegna (Via Dello Studio 8, 055 282701), where you will find each Tuscan specialty, it’s a surprising small market just a few steps from Piazza della Signoria. For lovers of Tuscan organic extra virgin olive oil: go to the Bottega dell’Olio (Piazza Del Limbo, 4 / R, 055 0267 0468), a boutique on everything that surrounds olive oil and trees (they have also chopping boards, body creams, etc.).
If you want to drink and bring home some superb wines, we can introduce you an expert: Fratelli Zanobini is The place (Via S. Antonino 47R, 055 239 6850), a shop managed with professionalism, high competence and simplicity. The maximum.
If it’s time for lunch and you want to experiment some of the most evocating places in Florence for foodies, here’s something different from the usual Florentine Steak, get this list and prepare yourself for an extraordinary culinary experience:
• Ribollita (vegetable soup and stale bread, sometimes accompanied by pork rinds), absolutely to eat inside the Trattoria Ruggero (Via Senese 89r, 055 220542, is outside the historic center)
• Pappa al pomodoro (it’s a tasty first made with bread and peeled tomatoes), reserve a table to the Trattoria Sergio Gozzi (Piazza San Lorenzo, 8r, 055 281941, in a central position)
• Trippa alla fiorentina (second course of traditional meat with offal), get your table at the Trattoria da Sabatino (Via Pisana 2 / r, 055 225955)
• Peposo (baked stew with plenty of pepper) very popular, to be enjoyed at the i’Brindellone (Piazza Piattellina 10/11 / R, 055 217879).
• Lampredotto sandwich (this is more than a recipe of road food, it’s an institution for the Florentines!), We love that of Il Magazzino (Piazza della Passera 2/3, 055 215969)
In the afternoon, dedicate yourself to an unusual shopping itinerary, unveil the secret beauty of the terracotta of Sbigoli (Via Sant’Egidio 4 / r, 055 247 9713), a prestigious example of local processing pursued over the years, the head to Il Papiro, where you can buy some “Florentine paper” (Lungarno Acciaiuoli 42r, 055 264 5613).
An exciting and timeless visit is just a stone’s throw from our guesthouse: Officina Profumo Santa Maria Novella (Via della Scala 16, 055 216276), you will immediately be catapulted into another era, between herbal teas, natural remedies and perfume.
Your Florence for foodies, Casa Howard, we’re unique, just like you are.
