Things to Do in Florence Italy for Foodies: Tours, Markets, Restaurants & Food
This guide to Florence for Foodies contains a veritable smorgasbord of gastronomic delights to be savored in the arty Italian city — prepare to book your trip!
From restaurants with multiple Michelin stars to the best festivals, cooking classes, markets and must-try food and wine, there are enough unique things to do in Florence Italy for food and wine lovers to keep you busy eating for years!
Consider this guide your edible Florence bucket list — the best foodie experiences you can have in the Renaissance City.
While Florence is probably best-known across the world for history, culture and of course art, the thriving food scene makes this one of the best Italian cities for food.
There are some fabulous food and wine tours to be taken, street foods to be sampled and markets to explore, and of course, the wines produced in Tuscany — arguably Italy’s most famous wine region.
The city is also home to a number of Michelin starred restaurants, including one with three to its name.
No matter if your budget doesn’t quite stretch to those, though, as there are plenty of more affordable culinary highlights to try too. Such as delicious treats from the city’s markets, delis and street food stalls.
Read on to discover your foodie Florence.
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Florence for Foodies: What’s In this Guide
Top Things to Do in Florence for Foodies
Food tours, Foodie Experiences, Wine tours, Michelin Star Restaurants, Aperitivo, Markets, Cooking Classes, Food Events & Festivals
Top Unique Foods in Florence
Top Unique Wines of Tuscany
18 Best Things to Do in Florence for Foodies
Food and Wine Tours
Florence has a number of fascinating food and wine tours to enjoy in the city, or even a short drive into the nearby Tuscan countryside, including a cookie factory experience and a variety of tailor-made foodie tours.
1. Florence Food and Tasting Tours
A range of appealing food tours can be taken in Florence, including walking, private, evening and Tuscan options. These are often two to three hours in duration, though some are all-day events. Here are two of our favorite tours that are top-rated:
Small-Group Florence Food Walking Tour — one of the best overview food tours in the city
Exploring Tuscany on your own can take weeks, but this Full-Day Taste of Chianti Tour is an excellent overview if you’re short on time.
Get an Insider’s view of the Florence food scene on this 10 Tastings of Florence With Locals a private tasting tour through Florence through WithLocals.
2. Antonio Mattei Biscotti
Via Bettino Ricasoli, 20/22, 59100 Prato
Since 1858, Antonio Mattei has been producing Italian biscotti and confections in their historical bakery and shop located on Via Ricasoli, in the heart of the old city of Prato, just outside of Florence.
Their almond biscuits are crunchy and delicious, and sampling them is pretty much obligatory.
The bakery has been run by the Pandolfini family for 3 generations, and their treats are considered the gold standard of biscotti! Antonio Mattei’s Florence store is also home to a small museum, where visitors can uncover the history of Italian biscotti.
To see the ovens in action, visit Biscottificio Antonio Mattei in the morning and eat the biscuits within a few days.
The boutique is closed on Sundays from early July to September, plus for three weeks in August.
Unique Foodie Experiences
Florence has an array of unique foodie experiences for visitors to discover. Would you prefer to sample a delicious sandwich smothered in truffle butter, or see handmade pasta taking shape before your very eyes?
3. Panino at Procacci
Procacci is a Florentine deli that dates back to 1885, and a must-visit for food lovers. The dish that keeps everyone coming back for more? The truffle panino, a burger-sized sandwich containing the store’s trademark truffle butter. Drool…
4. Pasta Fresca
Tucked away in Florence’s Mercato Centrale is Pasta Fresca, where you can watch pasta being made before packing away your very own freshly prepared plateful. It’s a great place to try the more unusual bronze die-cut or flavored pastas, plus stuffed ravioli and tortelli (oversized ravioli).
Dine at These Michelin Star Restaurants
The Tuscan city of Florence has far more than its fair share of refined dining venues. Here are just a few of the best restaurants in Florence — all with one or more Michelin stars to their name.
5. Enoteca Pinchiorri - 3 Michelin stars
Boasting the rare accolade of three Michelin stars, Enoteca Pinchiorri serves up elegant Italian, Tuscan and international cuisine of the highest standard, accompanied by an impressive wine list.
The owners also pride themselves on offering incredibly attentive service. There are several dining spaces here, including the notable historic room.
6. Santa Elisabetta - 2 Michelin stars
The building Santa Elisabetta occupies once housed a women’s prison, but today is a two Michelin-starred restaurant specializing in innovative, Mediterranean style, minimalist gourmet fare.
7. Ora d’Aria - 1 Michelin star
Tucked away close to the Uffizi, Ora d’Aria boasts an open kitchen and showcases a small combination of traditional and modern dishes.
8. La Leggenda dei Frati - 1 Michelin star
A glorious outdoor terrace and great vegan and vegetarian options are among the highlights at this eatery dedicated to locally sourced Tuscan produce with a low food mileage.
9. Borgo San Jacopo - 1 Michelin star
Overlooking the Arno and the Ponte Vecchio, Borgo San Jacopo offers authentic meat and fish based dishes featuring incredible and imaginative flavour combinations.
Aperitivo Every Night!
The Italian answer to tapas, Aperitivo bars cater to cocktail hour and beyond. These bacaro specialize in the Venetian tradition of an aperitif served alongside small plates of delicious food.
Many locals will take a bar tour, stopping at several during the evening. Here are a couple of the best in the city.
10. Locale Firenze
Housed in a palazzo dating from the 16th century, Locale Firenze is a large venue with many rooms. It offers a range of casual sharing plates and colorful cocktails, as well as more full-on refined dining experiences.
11. Moyo
Moyo also boasts a long and colorful cocktail list. This fashionable and bustling place is popular as a brunch and lunch spot earlier in the day, before coming into its own each evening as a cocktail and aperitivo lounge.
visit the Local Food Markets
Visiting one or more of the enticing local food markets in Florence is a must for many visitors. Here you can wander among the stalls and meet the locals as well as trying and buying delectable specialty foodstuffs.
12. Mercato Centrale
Florence’s perhaps most central foodie experience comprises a covered market with lots of stalls selling everyday items as well as the finest and freshest local produce.
This is where you come to buy the freshest local truffles from Tuscany, local cheeses, and fresh baked Pane Toscano and other local breads.
Or just go for breakfast and your first cappuccino or espresso of the morning.
13. Sant'Ambrogio Market
Dating back to 1973, Sant'Ambrogio is a traditional indoor market selling a range of fresh fruits and vegetables plus an interesting range of specialized local food products, many of which you can take home as souvenirs and gifts from Italy.
Take a Tuscan Cooking Class
Many visitors to Italy don’t want to miss the chance of learning how to make their own appetizing pasta, pizza, gelato or other local specialties.
14. Market Tour & Tuscan Cooking Experience
Join a Florentine restauranteur for this combo Market Shopping Experience, Cooking Class, and Lunch!
15. Pasta Class Florence
The team at Pasta Class Florence have an impressive resume, boasting between the experience of working at Michelin star level. Teaching techniques and recipes passed on through generations, this is the place to perfect the art of creating mouthwatering pasta. They also offer wine tasting experiences.
16. Pizza and Gelato Class at a Tuscan Farmhouse
Walkabout Florence operates this foodie experience departing from the city. It includes hand picking fresh ingredients, preparing gelato and making pizza the Italian way.
The company also offers a full-day class which includes a market visit and a four course meal.
Top Food Events and Festivals
One of the best ways to experience food in Florence is to attend a festival or event devoted to all things edible. There are events dedicated to food throughout the year, particularly during summer and fall.
17. Summer Food Festivals Around Florence
These include the Festa del Mugello which showcases foods from the region during the summer, as well as other sagra featuring mushrooms, goose, soup, flatbread, oily fish, strozzapreti pasta, wild boar, wine and even German produce.
18. Fall Food Events and Festivals
During fall, tempting foodie festivals include those dedicated to white peaches, grapes, purple onions, olive oil, mozzarella, chianti, gelato, truffles and chestnuts. If you want to sample steak in Florence, the Steak and Porcini Festival held in October may well appeal.
Food in Florence
Top Unique Foods in Florence
The vast region of Tuscany sits squarely between northern and southern Italy and boasts some of the most unique geography and topography in the country.
From the stunning landscape of the Tuscan Val d’Orcia and the hot springs of Saturnia to the lush vineyards of Chianti and the rich agricultural fields of the Maremma, the land here produces many of Italy’s most famous foods and wines, it’s no wonder it’s one of the most popular Italian destinations for foodies.
When it comes to the local food of Florence and Tuscany, there are several foods and dishes you should not miss:
Bistecca Fiorentina
If you’re a committed carnivore, then Bistecca Fiorentina is an absolute must. This succulent cut of steak — normally served rare — comes from the Chianina cow that has not yet calved. Seasoned only with sage, rosemary, olive oil and salt and pepper, it’s generally cooked over hot coals or grilled. It’s one of Tuscany’s iconic foods!
Schiacciata alla Fiorentina
And for dessert? Schiacciata alla Fiorentina, a local baked specialty. This light cake is not too sweet. and is flavored with fragrant orange and vanilla. Each slice is often decorated with the Giglio, or Florentine crest.
Top Unique Regional Dishes of Tuscany
Ragù di Cinghiale
Ragù di Cinghiale — or Wild Boar Ragu — is a Florentine staple and one of the main dishes visitors love to sample for themselves. As well as ground wild boar, it typically contains passata, white wine, herbs, onions, celery and carrot.
Ribollita
Ribollita is a traditional and very hearty Tuscan soup made with lots of beans and vegetables. While recipes vary, they often include cannellini beans, cabbage and kale as well as other veg, and the thick broth sometimes contains bread too.
Top Regional Street Foods in Florence
Lampredotto
Once again, this popular Florence street food is one for the meat eaters. As one of the first nations to embrace nose-to-tail eating, Lampredotto is made from tripe from a cow’s fourth stomach. This offal sandwich is available from stalls all over the city.
Tagliare
Otherwise known as charcuterie, Tagliare is a platter usually comprising a spread of cured meats, cheeses and olives, and is typically served without bread. You’ll find more than several food vendors selling their version at the Mercato Centrale.
Top Unique Wines of Tuscany
Chianti
Chianti is a dry red wine produced from the vineyards of the Monti Chianti region between Florence and Siena.
Historically, chianti was often sold in rounded bottles encased in a straw basket — called a fiasco — but this practice is gradually fading away.
Many wine lovers will look for the Chianti Classico wines displaying the the black rooster label on the neck of the bottle. The labels signifies that these wines are produced within the established geographic boundary covering the original townships where Chianti was first produced historically: Castellina in Chianti, Radda in Chianti, and Gaiole in Chianti (all in Siena province) in order to be labeled as a Chianti Classico wine.
But don’t fret if your bottle doesn’t carry the black rooster. Many fine chianti wines are classified as Chianti Rufina or Chianti Colli Senesi.
Since 1996, the rules of Chianti’s broadest appellation require a minimum of 70% Sangiovese and a maximum of 10% white grape such as Malvasia and Trebbiano.
Native red grapes like Canaiolo Nero and Colorino, as well as the international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah are also allowed.
Brunello di Montalcino
Produced near Siena in the town of Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino is almost as famous a Tuscan product as Chianti. This flavorsome premium wine is floral and earthy, and may contain notes of cherry, blackcurrants and even roses.
Which Foodie Things Will You Do in Florence?
From the best restaurants in Florence for a once-in-a-lifetime gourmet experience to wandering the city’s finest food markets, the Tuscan capital has so much to offer those who love to try new food and wine.
Whether it’s pizza-making, Aperol-sipping or pasta tasting you prefer, we hope you have a fabulous time in one of the world’s best foodie destinations.
Salute!