Why two short stays in Florence instead of going from Cinque terre to Moderna or heading straight to Cinque terre?
I try to minimize checking in/out as you lose a lot of time to friction.
I think the best restaurant in Florence is Cibreo.
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To a large degree I agree with Barry. There’s a lot of wasted time travelling / checking in & out / packing and unpacking and generally feeling lost and bewildered at new surroundings. It also sounds more like a project plan than a relaxing holiday.
However, given this much planning, close proximity to leaving, making major changes is unlikely to be viable.
What I would recommend though, is going through any of the bits that aren’t pre-booked and considering “what if we’re feeling tired / not so hungry?”. We very much prefer to have ‘options’ prepared, rather than a fixed itinerary. e.g. for a stay of 5-6 days we might have 3-4 day trip options, but may only end up doing 1-2 of them, but knowing that when we do something it’s because it’s what we want to do that day, rather than it being laid out in the itinerary “that we all agreed to before leaving”. Likewise I like to have a selection of restaurant options in mind, from light and casual to fancier, but also be prepared that if we pass somewhere that looks good, that can be the place we’ll choose. A succession of big meals in Italy can become painful, whereas less of them can keep them as joyful.
Even having some of this relegated to ‘optional’, might help stop it feeling like a pressured itinerary.
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Hi Brad- of your eating at Osteria dell Enoteca assuming you’ve seen the notes and recco’s for their Enoteca Pitti Gola ? Great spot as your walking Florence for a snack and fantastic wine.
Enjoy the trip !
Thanks everyone… didn’t mean to imply that all of what i listed was a locked in itinerary. We’re in Florence and have loved Osteria dell’Enoteca (the streak exceeded high expectations and we had an excellent Fennichio Barolo Bussia 2018) plus a quick stop at Pitti Gola (dang they have great prices on older Chianti and barolo, got a 12 euro glass of 80 selvapiana that was singing plus a lovely and warm-weather-perfect rosato from Tenuta di Carleone). The sandwiches at All’Antico Vinaio are indeed fantastic (disappointed in those from Semel).
Beautiful city, we have been walking and walking, exploring the sights and just enjoying the vibe. Lots of gelato and granita to keep us going.
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Cinque Terre was stunning… we did that between nights in Florence due to flight timing and meeting up with our daughter. We had a strenuous but beautiful day hiking Manarola to Corniglia to Vernazza to Monterosso (wow that was a lot).
Pan e Vin in Corniglia was sold for lunch, but the town gelato shop offered the best bites of the day - a soft frozen yogurt with and honey, a basil gelato with olive oil, and a limone granita. Enjoyable dinner at Da Ernaldo in Monterosso, especially the stuffed anchovies.
Next day, loved the Monterossina tart and limone-pignoli tart at Pasticceria Laura, then ferried to Porto Venere where we had great bites at both Saladero 131 (the types of anchovies) and Anciua, before a miserable slow train (no air conditioning) back to Florence.
We had a couple of the local whites, which were delightful if not overly complex/impressive, well suited to the climate and cuisine.
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I’m a huge fan of basil gelato (which isn’t very commonly seen), but intrigued by them serving it with EVOO. That probably cries out for a fresh ‘1st press’ EVOO, but I think even then, it might be one of those experiences where the first taste is tentative.
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I’d be all over that gelato for sure!
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Love Cinque Terre and when we go we always do the hikes. Gets the blood moving and mentally makes up for all the food consumed there 
.
We have found that the town of La Spezia has several really good restaurants for dinner that are not as touristy as those in the CT towns.
Looks like a great trip!!
Tom
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Beautiful pix and posts! Bravo!
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Our last night in Florence we hit Vini e Vecchi Sapori - fun little place w good food, friendly staff, decent/mediocre wine list.
On the road to Lake Garda, outside Modena, we went to Bio Reggiani for a parmigiana tour - nice visit and the astounding amount of cheese stacked high to age was very impressive, and it still has the feel of a small and scrappy operation. Just down the road, Osteria Ribbiano / Pedroni was a great visit to learn about balsamico “tradizionale” (Which i was entirely UNfamiliar with). Beautiful stuff, quite pricey, deservedly so. Lunch was on the traditional side but really well executed and enjoyable. Would recommend simply because it is so different than other “city” places. The 3 lambrusco variations were nice/fun if a bit simple to my palate. Their nocciola and pastis-y liquores were excellent.
(Photos are not loading properly - will add those later)
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In Riva del Garda, enjoyed simple meals at Sud (Neapolitan pizza) and Panem (bruchetta, etc), plus a “fancy” meal at 1* Peter Brunel. They seem to be gunning for two stars given the intricacy of the service and atmosphere, but their somm was horrible (awkward and not very helpful) and the dishes never quite hit the wow-factor taste-wise (while still being visually impressive and probably a bit more intricate than they needed to be in terms of components/flavors).
Going with local wines was probably a mistake in this instance.
Completely unplanned stop in Salo for a quick lunch produced a shocking winner for best pasta of the trip - a simple bigoli with anchovy, olive oil, mint and tomato. Just stunningly good. Brett Gastronomia is a cute little gourmet shop and restaurant. We picked up a jar of the fabulously spicy red onion mostarda after trying it with their grilled cheese and artichoke.
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Brad, appreciate your posting the awesome food photos. It reminds me that at ristorante Al Bacio in Malcesine a week and a half ago, as a primo I had a bigoli with Lake Garda sardines that was excellent. Perhaps similar to your bigoli in Salo. The waiter said that the fish in all the fish dishes available as secondi (I had branzino, also excellent) were from the Adriatic, but just the sardines used with the bigoli were from the lake.
Pictures below.
Dan, thanks, sounds/looks similar. Love how the Italians almost always lean into the local specialities, which vary even town to town.
A few last minor drinking notes from the trip…
In Cinque Terre, had a spritz made with Genoa-based aperitivo L’asinello Il Vero Corochinato - lovely, lighter variation on a vermouth bianco (clear with a touch of pale green).
In Riva del Garda, tried three beers from nearby craft brewer Bosco that the bars were excited about - they are copying Americsn craft beer sensibilities with decent success. The “India Pale Lager” was my favorite of the three.
Loved loved loved am amaro called Fazilisti from the region, using local herbs of course. Tracked down a bottle to bring home at a fabulous little liquor and juwine shop in Riva called Lega Antianalcoolica. On the lighter, more elegant side.
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This thread has been very helpful so far with our trip (and this forum in general - hijacking my wife’s account to post this). We spent a few days in Venice and the restaurant suggestions were great.
Osteria Alle Testiere - enjoyed the meal. Very small space and the tables are pretty tight but we were seated in the corner so had more space than others. I am an anchovy fan but the ones here completely changed my perspective with how anchovies should taste.
Taverna San Trovaso - I regret not getting a pizza. The table next to ours ordered a few and seemed to enjoy them. I’d order the seafood appetizer plate again. And while the mushroom pasta was very good (and filling) I’d probably opt to try a pizza next time. Wine list was incredibly reasonable price wise.
Il Ridotto - small place (I think a total of 9 tables). We opted for the five course seafood tasting menu. I agree with an earlier post in this thread - very good food but most dishes could have used something else. I’d eat here again. Another reasonably priced wine list all things considered.
Bar Dandolo in the Hotel Danieli - we wanted to get food/drink at our hotel bar. Good drinks and healthy portions with the bar menu food. Great setting. The hotel in general was perfect for what we needed and I would definitely stay here again, although it is leaving Marriot so I’m not sure I’d pay the cash rate for the room over redeeming points.
We’re off to Florence for a few days and am looking forward to the next set of restaurants.
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Too bad. My wife and I had a very memorable stay here and used points + suite upgrade nights to get an amazing room.
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To complete the last leg of the trip:
One comment regarding Danieli in Venice - the concierge made a comment about the somewhat timely booking of our reservation with Bonvoy points with the implication that it wouldn’t be available next year. That was the extent of any representation made so whether it is actually changing hands again…wait and see? Another hotel guest shared the same impression.
Florence:
Enoteca Pitti is great. We ate there twice and enjoyed both the wine parings, by the glass selections, and looking over the list (with well priced older bottles). The tagliolino pasta alone is probably worth a day trip to Rome, etc. to enjoy.
Frescobaldi - Good food. We wanted to eat outside but it was raining. We’d eat there again.
Cafe Melaleuca - change of pace for breakfast and everything was good. It does get a little busy in the morning (we showed up right when it opened on a Thursday and were able to order without too much of a line but by the time we left an hour later it was relatively full).
Grape Tours - I’ll second (third) this recommendation. Enjoyed the Chianti tour (admittedly know nothing about Italian wines) so this was a good intro. Lunch with the butcher is incredibly meat heavy but you can ask for vegetarian dishes as well, which was welcomed with our group.
Gelato preferences: 1. Sbrino, 2. Sugar Me. 3. Most other places.
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Recently returned from a trip to Milan, Como, Piemonte, Modena and Tuscany. Had number of excellent meals, thanks to perusing this Forum. Favorites for dinner in Piemonte were Piazza Duomo, La Madernassa, Bovio and Ciau del Tornavento (the wine cellar is mind-blowing). Also had a very good meal at our hotel, Villa d’Amelia. We did the wine pairings at Piazza Duomo and La Madernassa and were very happy with each of them in terms of fit with the food. At Ciau, we gave the somm a budget and asked him to pick a white and red - he selected a 2014 Gaja Gaia & Rey Langhe Chardonnay and a 2010 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Reserva Granbussia. Both were thoroughly enjoyed and paired well with our various dishes. At each of the restaurants, the staff/somms were very friendly and more than happy to talk about the wines and, in the case of the pairings, why they chose them.
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A HUGE thank you to Andrew, as we recently returned from Barolo/Barbaresco and took advantage of many of the recommendations. A few additions:
Locanda in Cannubi: A wonderul lunch stop with breathtaking views. We had the white truffle menu there as it was in season. The food was fresh and well prepared. The service excellent. Strongly recommend, especially during day light hours as it is a treat to literally have all of Cannubi as your view. Fantastic.
Campamac: The new-ish restaurant in Barbaresco. In my opinion far and away our best meal. Everything was beautifully presented and the flavors excellent. The room and service were perfect. I wish we had had multiple meals here. Next time we will. Really superb.
Lastly, the pizza at Per Bacco in La Morra is also excellent, Napoletana style pizza. Casual but not too. Strong wine list. In La Morra. Strongly recommend.
As to lodging: We stayed at Villa Carla, which is a villa with 4 apartments owned by the Oddero Family, right in Barolo. The apartments are lovely. modern and comfortable. The villa has a private pool which is fantastic and the ground floor is an Oddero boutique tasting room, which is convenient. We were very comfortable and loved the location. We will stay there again. We stayed in the apartment named Vigna Rionda. Strongly recommend.
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