Words and photos: Daniel E on Twitter: @d_esteban_88

Before my trip to Florence, many people I spoke to waxed lyrical about the place for its beauty. Up to that point of all the places I have been to in the world nothing has come close to Prague for sheer beauty. This was of course until I visited Florence and I cannot decide which of the two to choose from. However, when it comes to food Florence win by a country mile.

I did my research on a few spots and having just landed I was feeling peckish. We headed straight for the famous All’antico Vinaio. What a place this is, very old school and straight to the point. No gimmicks just straight good food. Unfortunately, I got there a bit late and they were sold out of their two specialities Porchetta (Roasted Pork) and Melanzane (Aubergine). Thinking of that combo and not being able to eat it left me a bit disheartened. I pretty much ended up with the scraps but these were not just any scraps.

What I ended up with was a sandwich the size of my face which consisted of a creamy pecorino spread, artichoke cream, grated zucchini and Finocchiona (fennel salami) sandwiched with some crunchy rustic bread. Great flavour combos that were simply amazing and washed down with some smooth Tuscan red. The whole thing set me back about 7 or 8 Euros and was the perfect introduction to food in Florence. Be expected to wait a bit but you will not be disappointed once you have that heavenly sandwich in your hands.

Next day, we hit up the Mercato Centrale and I went a little bit crazy and bought loads of stuff to take home. Some risottos, white truffle, white truffle salami and the most divine porcini mushrooms. (Mushroom risotto recipe coming soon). Apart from all the fresh produce the top floor is solely for food to eat there. We went for the mixed cured meat selection (Mortadela, Finocchiona, Salumi, Parma, Coppa and Lardo). The Lardo was surprisingly the best thing on there. Melt in the mouth fat, fat is flavour after all.

Walking around the beautiful city on a summer’s day there’s only one way to cool down and that’s with a gelato. Whenever I’m in Italy I have to have a pistachio gelato. We hit up Gelateria La Carraia a couple of bridges down from Ponte Vecchio. I went for a chocolate and hazelnut covered cone with oozing pistachio gelato. I can hand on heart say it was the creamiest gelato I’ve ever had. I tried to go back a second time and to my disappointment it was closed.

With it being summer, a lot of restaurants close for their holidays so I’ve missed a few spots but there is such an overwhelming choice of places in Florence that it didn’t really matter. For the next spot we went to a typical Tuscan trattoria called Il Vinaino. We got a nice welcome with some complimentary Prosecco which is rare whenever you go to a foreign country and they know you are not a local. The menu was full to the brim with Tuscan specialities. When it comes to Italian food I have a habit of over ordering as the choice is always so good that I don’t want to miss out on anything. This occasion was no different. We choose some classic dishes here, no messing around: Burrata & Grilled Vegetables, Bistecca Fiorentina (T-bone steak) and Pappardelle Al Ragu Di Cinghiale (Pappardelle with Wild Boar Ragu). As I sipped my Chianti my eyelids palpitated as the food was coming out. The creaminess of the burrata is always a pleasure to eat and the wild boar ragu was one of the best dishes I’ve ever eaten. The thick and rich red wine and wild boar ragu was bursting with flavours.

Amongst all the food and walking around this beautiful city, you definitely will need a couple of drinks to have a few drinks to quench the thirst. Whether you want some Negroni’s or a couple of Peroni, Florence has a thriving bar scene which could be defined in two. First you got your typical expat/backpacker scene (nothing wrong with that) and then your local spots where people are chilled out drinking till the small hours like we found ourselves on a balmy Sunday evening till 3am at the Santo Spirito Square. There are quite a few bars on this square but definitely check out Volume a bar/café/library for an espresso or a birra. Another welcome surprise was to see a Brewdog bar in Florence. Brewdog had only just opened for about a month while I was there and they got the full selection on tap along with food and some board games (don’t knock over your pint while playing Pop Up Pirate).

By far my favourite bars in Florence was definitely FUK also known as Florence Unpopular Kafe. We stumbled upon this place away from the main drag of bars and we were attracted to it by the name mainly. We liked it so much we came back every night for a pint or two and had quite a few laughs in there.

The beauty of Italy’s gastronomy is that every region is different and the people are very proud of their food. Florence is a majestic city full of beauty with great food to match. Definitely a feast for the eyes and the stomach.

All’antico Vinaio – Via dei Neri, 74
Gelateria La Carraia – Piazza Nazario Sauro, 25-red
Il Vinaino – Via Palazzuolo, 124
Volume – Piazza Santo Spirito, 5/R
Brewdog – Via Faenza 21R
FUK – Florence Unpopular Kafe – Via Giuseppe Verdi, 19