After 2 trips to Florence 2 summers in a row, I’ve truly fallen in love with this beautiful Tuscan city that feels like you time traveled back to the Renaissance. It has so much going for it, between the historic and ornate buildings and museums, bustling piazzas and markets, a river cutting through the city, and incredible food. I’ll be adding more restaurants to this guide in the coming days, but hopefully this serves as a great starting point if you’re heading to Tuscany this summer!
Climb to the Top of the Duomo
The real name of the Duomo is Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, and it’s impossible to miss. You will end up walking by it countless times during a trip to Florence and it’s absolutely beautiful from the outside, but the real must-do is to climb to the top of Brunelleschi’s Dome for up close views of the paintings inside and incredible views of Florence from outside. Buy tickets for the Duomo directly from the Duomo website and book the last time slot with the Brunelleschi Pass in order to visit the Dome with golden hour views and cooler temperatures without being on the timetable of a tour.
I’d also recommend checking out Cappelle Medicee, the 2nd biggest dome and an absolutely stunning marble-clad chapel that houses the tombs of the famous Medici family.
Explore the Food Vendors at Mercato Centrale
Some of our absolute favorite bites in Florence and the best cannoli I’ve ever had in my life came from this 2 floor food market just a short walk from the Duomo. While you’ll be tempted to head straight to the food court on the second floor (which is actually the Florence outpost of the same Mercato Centrale brand in other cities like Rome and Milan), the first floor has a better caliber of food in my opinion.
Thanks to our food tour with Romi the Foodie (which I can’t recommend enough!), we discovered 2 truly amazing vendors. You can get restaurant quality fresh pastas for just 6 euro at F.N. Pasta Fresca (watch my video) and some of the best calamari and fried seafood ever at Pescheria Sugarello.
The first floor also has a wide array of food purveyors (bring home a bottle of crema di pistacchio liqueur right across from Pasta Fresca!) and is also home to women-owned Cantucci Lory for freshly baked cantucci, aka the best biscotti ever, and to Da Nerbone to try the classic Florentine lampredotto sandwich (more on that later)
What IS worth venturing upstairs for are the unreal freshly piped sheep’s milk ricotta cannoli with pistachios that I loved so much the first trip, I hunted for them on my second. Look for the stand with cannoli shells and arancini (which are also delicious) right next to one of the staircase entrances. It’s easily the best cannoli I’ve ever had, as it’s crispy, creamy, just a little funky, and absolutely delightful.
Overall, the second floor of the market has no air conditioning and gets hot AF and crowded at lunch, so I personally wouldn’t recommend it for a midday meal if you’re going in the summer. The food we had from various stalls was good but nothing mind-blowing (like a spaghetti with burrata, lemon zest and pistachios that could have been great but desperately needed salt and more lemon zest), so I don’t feel like it’s worth fighting the crowds versus roaming around enjoying the vendors downstairs.
Eat a Panini
If there’s one food I ate the most over two trips in Florence, it’s a sandwich and for good reason. The Tuscan version of focaccia is the thinner and crispier schiacciata, and it might just be the best sandwich bread ever, especially when paired with classic Italian meats and cheeses.
All’antico Vinaiao is probably the most famous sandwich shop in the world. It is absolutely worth the hype for those freshly sliced meats that are PILED ON. I will forever dream of their La Paradiso with mortadella, straciatella, pistachios & pistachio cream, BUT they also have multiple locations throughout Italy from Rome to Milan, and even in New York City and Los Angeles so there’s also opportunities to try it elsewhere (though it’s definitely cheapest in Italy!).
I’d recommend checking out Pino’s Sandwiches run by the nicest family with a wide variety of unique combinations of meats, cheeses and veg that are also sliced to order. Unlike All’Antico Vinaio, Pino’s toasts the sandwiches and has both indoor and outdoor seating so it’s a more comfortable experience. We also loved their breakfast sandwiches as they’re open from 9AM in the morning. Our favorite sandwiches are the Tuscan with salami, pesto, fontina cheese and tomatoes, and the Mister Talk with turkey, sliced pecorino cheese, roasted red peppers, tomatoes and hot sauce.
Schiacciateria de Neri is another great option if you’re looking for a quick bite right by The Uffizi with the most bang for your buck as the massive sandwiches are pre-made, so you only have to wait for them to be toasted. Because they’re premade, they come at a few euro cheaper than other sandwich shops though the bread is also more dry so this is more of a convenience pick.
Besides sandwiches on schiacciata, you also must try the traditional panino con lampredotto, stewed beef tripe in salsa verde stuffed into a squishy roll. We got this from the famous L’Antico Trippaio though it’s also at Da Nerbone inside Mercato Centrale mentioned above. The tripe is so tender and the salsa verde perfectly balances with the subtle liver flavor that tripe has. Whichever shop you go to, it’s a must to try this Tuscan staple, though the porchetta is also great too if you’re more timid.
Feast on Bistecca alla Fiorentina
If you’re a steak lover, then the Florence version of a porterhouse is an absolute must. These giant steaks are cut from the prized Chianina breed of cattle native to Tuscany and typically only available at a minimum of 1.2 kg (42 ounces). Since the steaks are dry-aged for at least 28 days, most restaurants will only serve your Bistecca alla Fiorentina the way it’s meant to be cooked: medium rare to rare. Because of the dry-aging process and the method of grilling it over flames, the steaks are remarkably tender and flavorful despite their simplicity.
The best one is we’ve tried was from Osteria Del Gatto e la Volpe, a warm family-run tavern that opened in 1979. The pastas and pizzas were also quite good (though not the best of our trip), but this was still a really satisfying meal, especially with that unreal Bistecca that’s served on a sizzling hot cast iron plate.
If you want more of a show and more classically Tuscan all-around meal, I’d recommend trying Perseus. The restaurant proudly displays all of their steaks right in lit-up case in the front. The bistecca alla Fiorentina is also amazing here and it’s sliced and plated right in front of you. The rustic Tuscan menu features delicious classic pastas and the restaurant itself is adorned with hanging grapes and a large mural of Florence.
Go for Apertivo
The Italian version of happy hour is the perfect way to wind down the day with a drink and to tide yourself over with light bites before a 9PM dinner reservation. Our favorite spot was Bulli & Balene where you can get different kinds of spritzes for less than 5 euro and 2-bite cicchetti (like little crostini topped with meat and cheese or anchovies and veggies, pictured below) for just 1.5-2.5 euro.
If you don’t mind spending a little more than usual, you can visit a historic caffe on a piazza. Caffè Gilli overlooks a carousel in Piazza della Republica, very close to where Count Camillo Negroni ordered the very first negroni back in 1919, so it goes without saying that you should order a negroni here or their excellent espresso martini since Caffè Gilli is also known for their espresso. You can also try Rivoire, which offers a wide array of negronis paired with complimentary snacks pictured below, in a swanky piazza setting with a view of Palazzo Vecchio (don’t forget to check out the bathrooms).
Tucked away from the more crowded tourist areas is Piazza Santo Spirito, which sometimes hosts a market and is surrounded by restaurants with terrace seating like Gustapanino and Tamero which bring a lively apertivo crowd to this plaza.
Eat all the gelato
According to some sources, Florence is actually the birthplace of gelato. Regardless of whether or not that’s true, it’s definitely home to some of the best gelato I’ve ever tried, the top spot going to RivaReno. I wish I got to try this artisanal gelato spot more than once instead of on our last night in Florence. Unlike some of the tourist trap gelato places which pile the gelato high in a big mound, which increases the air hitting the gelato and thus lends to crystallization, the gelato at RivaReno is stored covered in silver containers. They only use the highest quality ingredients, and you can taste the difference in flavors like classic pistachio or their must-try Strawberry Fields flavor with fresh strawberries with a creamy marscarpone gelato.
My second favorite gelato is Perche no! We loved it so much we went 2 days in a row during our first trip, and then a third time on our food tour with Romi the Foodie this year, who explained that they partner with specific local farms to get the best fruit and ingredients. While the gelato here is not stored in covered containers, they have a constant line so they gelato stays nice and creamy, and they have more creative flavors besides the standard Italian ones. For really good traditional gelato, check out Vivoli as it’s Florence’s oldest gelataria.
Visit some of the World’s Best Museums
Uffizi Gallery is an absolute must. Botticelli is perfection and it’s such an expansive gallery, between the vast collection of Renaissance artwork and beyond, plus a rooftop cafe and bar overlooking Palazzo Vecchio for mid-museum aperol spritzes.
Michelangelo’s David at Accademia is another masterpiece to behold. We paid for timed entrance tickets and we had to exchange our voucher for a ticket, kill time at a nearby cafe before our given slot, then queue up again so it was still a long wait. You honestly might be better off just trying to buy tickets day-of as the stand by line was moving the entire time we were waiting 🤷🏼♀️ but seeing David in person is worth a visit regardless of whether you buy tickets in advance or day-of.
Shop for Tuscan Leather
You can find a leather shop on almost every corner of Florence. While there are stalls that line the streets surrounding Mercato Centrale, we had a much more pleasant shopping experience at the leather shops around the corner on Via de Giucciardini (around the corner from the aforementioned Bulli & Balene so you can get some spritzes before shopping) and at BENHEART, where they have an incredible selection of the softest leather and will even emboss your jacket with your initials.
Dance the Night Away at Habana 500
Habana 500 for a fun alfresco Cuban dance club and extra strong drinks 💃🏻 There are also lawn chairs to just hang by the river. We had a blast salsa dancing here before checking out the nearby Flo Lounge perched next to the famous Piazza Michelangelo so it has expansive views of the city
Other Places to Visit
Antica Pasticceria Sieni – get a cappucino and sfoglia crema al pistacchio for breakfast and thank me later (but also thank Romi the Foodie who introduced us to it! Seriously, go on a food tour with her for the best experience)
Shake Cafe – for a chill cafe with healthy and vegan options, including green juices, if you need a breather from endless pasta and pizza
Will add more soon!
