We have started to make plans. We will have about 6 1/2 days in Florence/Tuscany (although we may use one of them to take a day trip to Venice by train - not decided yet). The half day is the day we arrive and get there from Rome airport. We have a reservation in Florence to go with Grape Tours on their Elite Chianti tour. And, we plan to take a couple of tours in Florence with Through Eternity. Florence Tours | Through Eternity Tours We did some tours of Rome with them a few years ago and they were fantastic. Since they now have tours in Florence, we thought we would stick with them. We are thinking about where to eat in Tuscany (reviewing some threads on this as experience tells me this board is great for restaurant recommendations), although we clearly will go back to the Enoteca Pitti Gola e Cantina (which we enjoyed a lot last time we were in Florence). One thing we really want to try (or I really want to try) is Bistecca alla Fiorentina. Any recommendations for a place for good Florentine Steak? We also likely will go on some kind of non-wine oriented tour outside of Florence (likely but not necessarily to Siena or San Gimignano (or both). There seem to be tons of ways to do this, but if anyone has any suggestions, we are interested. We have been to the Cinque Terre so not really interested in this for this time (it will be October).
We will have a bit over 2 1/2 days in Rome after arriving from Florence by train in the morning. We have made reservations for a wine dinner at Roscioli Rimessa the night we arrive. We are going to try to make a reservation at Armando al Pantheon (very near our hotel) for one of the other nights but they only take reservations a month in advance. We liked it so much several years ago that we went there twice. Other restaurants in Rome we are considering are Cul de Sac and Cave di S. Ignazio da Sabatino, both of which we have enjoyed before. Not clear whether we will go back to one of these or try something new. Any restaurant recommendations in the Jewish Ghetto in Rome?
we were in Florence during the finals two weeks ago. they only play 3 games per year, so the next ones arent till next year. for the future record, trying to get tickets was all but impossible, and they blocked off like 4 blocks in every direction around the stadium to EVERYONE. but it was on tv which was kinda fun.
Warren, our favorite meal of the trip in Florence was at La Giostra. across the board the food was good, the wine menu was extensive and reasonably priced, and the service was fantastic. definitely book in advance, the system is via email through their website. i tried calling and was told to wait for a response to my online request lol. worth it though! I would echo suggestions for Pitti Gola as well.
other suggestion: assuming physically OK for it, go to the top of the Duomo. its 400ish stairs, but one of the best views. you can see all the way to the tuscan hills around the city, and its the highest point in the city by far. If for some reason you cant book it or dont want to, the view from the Piazale Michaelangelo is maybe even better, but it takes you a little further from the city center and you dont get to see the frescos on the way up.
we had a great wine tasting at Monstanto, a weird tasting at Isole e Olena, and a good lunch at Casa Emma.
I actually didn’t find that out until after we got back from our trip. the main thing was that they told us we couldn’t tour because they had auditors there going through the cellar and reviewing inventory. there was also a lot of construction happening on the property, we were told it was a new warehouse, but that there was no older wine on the property to sell because of it. I actually had to go BACK into the place to ask about purchasing before anyone even mentioned being able to buy wines at all. the whole thing seemed kind of rushed. the guy took a phone call during it and didnt really give us any backstory on the winery, talk about the differences between the wines (even when pouring Cepparello), and dissed their neighbors once or twice. he was a nice guy dont get me wrong, but considering how much I like Isole e Olena, I left kind of confused and disappointed.
Worse part is you gave a brief summary in a prior post, so I looked up the sale and reported who the buyer was in a post. Totally forgot, deja vu all over again is real.
This place had a fantastic wine list, at cheap prices → http://pittigolaecantina.com/ (I found it here on another thread - they were deep on Le Pergole at rock-bottom prices)
Food wasn’t bad, either Restaurant is big on pairings, but they were ok with me sniping bottles. Only downside is that their storage is mostly offsite, so they have to run down the street to pull the good stuff.
We had a great time doing the cooking class at Locanda Demetra right outside of town. They also do lunch and dinner. It’s run by a terrific family and a great spot for either the cooking class or lunch. It also has incredible views. https://montalcinocookingschool.com/
La Giostra, that I mentioned above, also had a great Bistecca. if you are out in the Chianti region, you can always look for Dario Ceccini’s place, Solocicca, in Panzano.
My favorite Bistecca alla Fiorentina in Florence remains at Buca Lapi. However, if you go, wait until after the other tourists leave and book for 9pm or later. Totally different vibe.
Panzano is an easy one-hour bus ride from Florence Central on the municipal bus. Worth spending a day in Greve and the area before/after going to Dario’s for lunch or weekend dinner.
the guys from Pitti Gola have a steak place down the road called Osteria dell’Enoteca I would go there for both good steak and great wines.
Also Da Burde , only open for lunch but definitely worth the taxi ride from the center. They also have a very good wine list. Most good steak places in the center usually lack decent lists and wine service so these two really stand out
Had a great time in Florence and Tuscany. Will share some impressions here:
Gellato Rankings:
Sbrino
La Strega
Grom
Pitti Gola Enoteca is the real deal. As if Chambers St Wines had an Italian baby. Such a treat to taste old Chianti. Their Tagliolini a Tartuffo was one of the better bites across two weeks in Italy.
Pastella was okay. Big line when we got there, luckily had reservations. Does the showy tableside parmesan cream service. Not my tempo but was pleasant.
Ditta Artignale is a good modern/hipstery coffee/brunch spot if you’re staying south of the river.
Friends wanted to do bisteca fiorentina so we went to dall’Oste Chianineria which was meh for everything besides the steak that was very good. Got the meat sweats as I don’t eat this way very often.
Cocktails: Manifattura was great. Cool bartending staff, focus on Italian liquors and variations, knowledgeable recommendations and good prices.
Rasputin has cool vibes, expensive but very quality and execution focused. Great scotch selection.
In terms of Tuscany, we tasted at Castellare which was a fine way to start. Lunch at the aforementioned Albergaccio was one of my favorite meals. Stunning views, super warm service, great ingredients but also a modern twist on dishes. We would have stayed for hours but had to skip out to make a tasting at Felsina. Great visit there. They kindly poured us Rancia and Fontalloro in addition to the structured tasting (flattery will get you everywhere). We finished by tasting at Fuligni, where the winemaker Daniele graciously toured us through their stunning vineyards. He graciously opened 06, 16 reserve and the 13. Wines were wonderful as was the perspective he shared just weeks after harvest.
We stayed in San Quiricio right in Val d’Orica which is just a stunning small town. They have a sculpture garden which is so beautiful and zen and a few good dining establishments. The town is a cyclist’s nirvana. We had dinner at Da Ciacco which I believe is Bib Gourmand, over a bottle of a too young Monsanto CC. Some really interesting pasta dishes.
I put some Florence dining notes in the other thread in this forum. I didn’t mention the many gelato stops we made, but My Sugar was a standout, especially their pistachio. Dei Neri’s coffee granita was also a highlight. Didn’t hit Sbrino.
Pitti Gola is indeed the real deal. And their sister restaurant Osteria dell’Enoteca was our choice for steak and it did not disappoint.
Yes I reached out to them by email as I really wanted to do a cheese tasting and tour, but we only had the morning. Michele did our tour and he was great. At the end, we asked them to bring some antipasti and wine and they were able to accommodate. We had a family group of 12. Highly recommend!
Restaurant is big on pairings, but they were ok with me sniping bottles. Only downside is that their storage is mostly offsite, so they have to run down the street to pull the good stuff.
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