While a winter-time trip to Florence will never be yours alone, the experience is more tranquil.
No matter how long you’ve lived or traveled to the Tuscan capital, Florence never fails to delight with its delicious food, super cool shopping spots and constantly evolving neighborhoods.
While a winter-time trip to Florence will never be yours alone, the experience is smoother, chafe-free and one which allows you to adopt a laziness that feels in keeping with the true spirit of the city.
Minus the heat, flaring tempers and summer form crowd funnels, you can idle, peering into the designer shop windows at their elegant winter collections and perusing the bakeries and cafes that are beginning to serve up unctuous Carnevale treats like frittelle di riso (rice fritters) ahead of Lent.
In this post, we’re prioritizing cozy eats and corners of the city that you mightn’t have heard of just yet. If you are planning a trip to Italy in 2025 and are looking for some more insider tips and local recommendations, consider booking a personalized travel consult. Or for a plethora or handy guides and free tips, be sure to check out our other travel blog posts, as well as our socials.
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A hand-written menu that changes daily is a thing of beauty at Vini e Vecchi Sapori.
Here’s some tips dished from Coral…
Where to eat in Florence
Club Culinario Toscano da Osvaldo
The first rule of culinary club…is to not talk about culinary club. I’ll admit that this spot isn’t one I share all too often. It’s just really special and won my heart on my first visit when I stumbled upon its burrata with black truffle shavings. Club Culinario serves up perfectly made fresh pasta in-house, even pici, every visit with healthy lashings of gourmet ragu/sugo made with goat or wild boar. As for the wine list, it’s worth a study and includes one of my favorite red wines on the planet - the Sagrantino di Montefalco.
Menu must-try? The game meats. Depending on the season, Club Culinario prepares incredibly succulent and beautifully stewed pigeon, rabbit, cockerel, you name it, in rich and traditionally prepared Tuscan sauces.
Piazza dei Peruzzi, 3
2. Vini e Vecchi Sapori
Located a stone’s throw from Piazza della Signoria, Vini e Vecchi Sapori has upheld its dedication to good food, fair prices and service despite clamors of success and international accolade. Even in the slow season, this eatery consistently maintains a full house of happy patrons enjoying a bowl of peposo (peppercorn beef stew- the name just doesn’t do the dish justice) or ribollita (a Tuscan vegetable and white bean stew similar to minestrone).Therefore, it is highly suggested that you reserve in advance. Huge plus: their house wine is quaffable.
Menu must-try? Paccheri in a saffron/zucchini flower sauce. It might just be one of the best pastas you’ve ever eaten.
Via dei Magazzini, 3
3. Alla Vecchia Bettola
Alla Vecchia Bettola is that old fashioned kind of Florentine restaurant you’re hoping to find. Cozy, cramped, full of good food and good cheer. But unlike the more well known places around the San Lorenzo neighborhood, Alla Vecchia Bettola is spot where you’ll find locals alongside the requisite tourists.
The menu is printed on butcher’s paper and changes daily. The antipasti include classic trattoria fare like burro e accuighe (butter and anchovies served with bread) and marinated mushrooms (my personal favorite). But there will also be seasonal treats like fresh fave beans served with a chunk of pecorino cheese in the spring. Meat is a huge deal here, and you’ll see many Florentines going straight to that side of the menu. Classics like trippa (tripe) and bistecca alla Fiorentina are fan favorites.
Menu must-try: Penne alla vodka (another pasta must in Florence).
Viale Vasco Pratolini, 3/5/7
Maltagliati in sugo and smooth ricotta filled ravioli- silky heaven! Buca dell’Orafo never ceases to get all the things delicious.
4. Trattoria Sergio Gozzi
Slinging soup since 1915, Gozzi has gone from an incredibly underrated and often overlooked trattoria to something of a tourist darling. Known by locals simply as ‘Da Gozzi,’ this is a place where the potatoes are peeled and sliced fresh daily, and where the same locals eat lunch every day. Yes, it has become a bit busy in recent years, but its owners, fourth-generation Gozzi brothers, Andrea and Alessandro, are still dedicated to serving traditional Tuscan dishes – no pizza or lasagna in sight. Gozzi does a slap-up job of rustic family-style foods such as ribollita, peposo beef stew, fried meatballs, and fried artichokes in the spring.
Menu must-try? Gozzi is prime for primi and meat stew things, but is also serves one of the best pappa al pomodoro (bread and tomato) soups in town.
Piazza di San Lorenzo, 8
5. Buca dell’Orafo
Off the Ponte Vecchio in one of my favorite shortcuts (tip: to avoid crowds head down this alley and you’ll pop out into the Uffizi courtyard and in front of one of the most scrumptious restaurants I’ve ever laid taste buds on). Granted, the service can be painful and sometimes, you might be in for a show if the owner and his partner are in the same room. Although, if you don’t know Italian, you’ll have little idea of the hilarity that ensues.
What I like about Buco dell’Orafo is the commitment to presenting dishes which respect the disciplines and strict cornerstones of Tuscan cuisine like agretti greens sautéed with garlic and finished with fresh lemon and olive oil, fried lamb brains, rustic bean soups and the best Florentine herbed polpette (meatballs) in town. Tip: Eat like a local and order from the underlined menu items.
Menu must-try? Sliced costata (rib-eye) with crispy rosemary and pecorino, any fried seasonal specialty (like flowers or porcini).
Via dei Girolami, 28
For more Florence eating tips and recommendations, check out my cheat sheet to the best restaurants in Florence and my Eater guide to the 38 best restaurants in Florence.
Or take the stress out of the decision-making process and join us on our dinner crawl of Florence, where we sample the best food and wine the city has to offer with fellow food loving travelers and a friendly whip-smart guide who’s full of curious stories and fascinating city tidbits.
In Mercato Sant'Ambrogio, my favored source for quality local meat Macelleria Menoni (helmed by Luca Menoni).
Where to explore in Florence
6. San Niccolo
San Niccolò is a maze of narrow little streets where wandering from atelier to local eatery is pure pleasure. It’s nestled between the Arno River and Piazzale Michelangelo – a car park turned iconic photo spot, where tourists line up to get free panoramic shots of Florence. Formerly a worker’s neighborhood, San Niccolo is known for its bustling nightlife and plethora of art galleries.
Beeline for: Villa Bardini for its breathtaking gardens filled with roses, irises and hydrangeas. The collection inside the museum is pretty spectacular too and includes more than 2000 pieces from the Middle Ages and Renaissance amassed by Italian antiquarian Stefano Bardini.
Costa S. Giorgio, 2
7. Sant'Ambrogio
A ten-minute walk east of the Duomo, Sant’Ambrogio is a tight-knit community that is still genuinely Florentine but also multi-ethnic. It’s a food nirvana and a favorite student haunt. The neighborhood is home to Florentine chef family Picchi’s food empire (RIP Fabio), made up of a cafe’ (Caffe’ Cibreo), white-table cloth restaurant (Ristorante Cibreo), an Asian-Florentine fusion eatery (Cibleo).
Worth checking out nearby the Le Murate, a former prison, now a contemporary art exhibition space with readings, lectures and live music year-round.
Beeline for: Mercato di Sant’Ambroglio. Florence’s historic covered food hall, opened in 1873, a few minutes’ walk east of Piazza dei Ciompi, is surrounded by outdoor stalls selling porcini mushrooms, olives, porchetta and pecorino cheese straight from the Tuscan countryside. If you are a fan of antiques and vintage, the Mercato delle Pulci (flea market) on the Largo Pietro Annigoni is worth a look too.
Piazza Lorenzo Ghiberti
8. San Frediano
Long the stomping grounds of artisans and bootstrapping workers, San Frediano is the eclectic southwest portion of the Oltrarno neighborhood in Florence. One of the area’s main drags, Borgo San Frediano, was named by Lonely Planet as one of the world’s coolest neighborhoods to explore. The area is awash with hip eateries and the sort of drinking holes beloved by young locals and tourists alike.
Beeline for: Antico Setificio Fiorentino, silk makers established in the mid-17th century, and a symbol of the neighborhood. These artisans use handlooms to recreate fabric patterns from the Historical Archives that include rare Renaissance damasks and brocades.
Via Lorenzo Bartolini, 4
Artisans sharing their craft in Florence.
Where to shop in Florence
9. Borgo Pinti
Borgo Pinti is a special brand of Florentine street. Far enough from the frenzied pace of pieno centro to feel like a members-only walkway, but sufficiently close so that getting there never feels like a chore. The area is famous for its artisan ateliers and jewelry shops as well as its second-hand and vintage stores.
Top shop: Mrs Macis. Carla Macis, who once worked for Emilio Pucci, is at the helm of this beloved eye-catching boutique with its colorful array of vintage inspired womenswear made from new and recycled fabrics.
Borgo Pinti, 38 R
10. Porta Romana
Lined with eclectic concept stores, secret gardens and on-trend fashion finds, Porta Romana is another fashion favorite with hand-stitched clothing, bold prints and rock ‘n’ roll t-shirts.
Top shop: LucillaVecc Illustrations. Extremely fun modern prints, novel stationary, shirts and artwork, and who we collaborate with for our Negroni tote bags!
Via Romana, 8-10r
11. Via degli Serragli
Over the river Arno, the Oltrarno district is famed for its artisan workshops, many of which are dotted along picturesque Via dei Serragli. Linen clothing and leather goods dominate the shop windows, but the area also has some wonderfully curated vintage stores and jewelry spots.
Top shop: Quoio. A Florentine workshop that specialises in true locally made, real leather handbags and accessories.
Via dei Serragli, 69
Looking for more unusual and unexpected shopping experiences in Florence? Check out our Hidden Oltrarno Artisan Gems Tour!
12. Book a travel consult
The founder of Curious Appetite, Coral Sisk, has spent close to 20 years traveling and living in Italy, in addition to running our highly curated gourmet experiences in Florence, Bologna and around Tuscany.
Whether you need a call to sort your ideas, advice on navigating Florence or would like a self-guided culinary food, shopping and wine adventure, Coral can personally provide all travel planning and itinerary consulting services to help you carve out a delicious experience in the city.
