Where to eat & drink in… Florence

On repeat visits, here’s where our wine expert returns to again and again.

As a gateway to Tuscany’s magnificent wine regions, Florence is a happy collateral layover on either side of a trip. And once you’re done the Uffizi and Accademia Galleries, gazed at Brunelleschi’s awe-inspiring duomo, ambled over the Ponte Vecchio, taken an afternoon passeggiata in the Boboli Gardens…what to do next? Here’s what I do — and have done, many times.

At aperitivo hour, go where the winemak- ers drink, to Le Volpi e L’Uva, near the Ponte Vecchio. Since 1992 this tiny wine bar has focused on artisanal Italian wines, made from native grapes by organic and biodynamic producers. Plates of formaggi and salumi are curated with equal care. Sip from 30 wines by the glass, or book ahead for a guided tasting.

Also in the city centre, with locals-only vibes, is Enoteca Galanti, with an extensive international wine list of more than 3,000 labels assembled by Andrea Galanti, winner of the Best Sommelier of Italy in 2015.

For authentic nonna cuisine, head to Trattoria Armando, once the post-show gathering place for the performers at nearby Teatro del Maggio Musicale. Nonna Giovanna makes Tuscan classics like pap- pardelle fresche sul cinghiale and bistecca alla fiorentina, but locals swear by the pol- pettine di vitella al limone di Nonna Giovi, savoured with something from the deep Tuscan wine list.

Down an alleyway behind the duomo is the informal but authentically Florentine Coquinarius. It doesn’t get more local than succulent piccione ripieno (stuffed pigeon) here, with a Chianti Classico.

After dinner, go for drinks and red-carpet glamour. Manifattura in San Pancrazio sets an alluring stage with décor straight out of an Italian film set from the ’50s, while white-coated barmen craft exquisite drinks with exclusively Italian spirits.

Beer fanatics will find rare microbrews in the Oltrarno (the other side of the Arno River), at Grand Cru Firenze, which stocks more than 400 Italian and European beers. On the same side, Archea Brewery crafts its own brews but reserves a dozen scrupulously maintained taps for Tuscan and Italian microbrews and has another 100 or so craft beers by the bottle. 

↗APOTHECARY: Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica Santa Maria Novella An ethereal scent permeates this medieval pharmacy, established in the former chapel of San Niccolò, an architectural gem. In 1221, Dominican friars founded the convent of Santa Maria Novella here and cultivated a garden providing the materials for a world of cosmetics, fragrances and even spirits. Pick up a bottle of heavenly Elisir di Edimburgo, one of the oldest bitter amari, made from a recipe shared by a monk visiting from Edinburgh in the 17th century. 

↗DRINK Rasputin Even if you reserve ahead online, just try to find Florence’s first speakeasy, somewhere in Santo Spirito (Google will lead you astray). Seek an archway framing what looks like a chapel façade with religious symbols hung in gilded frames. Ring the bell and wait. Descend into a czarist-inspired underground lair with plush crimson cushions. Savour expensive, impeccable drinks.

↗EAT Zanfa Bros Cross the Amerigo Vespucci bridge to Zanfa Bros, where Gianfranco Zanfardino helms the electric pizza oven (“more uniform and consistent, without ash”) and cuts no corners with a blend of type 0 and type 1 flours given “significant hydration and the canonical leavening and maturation times” — for pies that might even get a Neapolitan nod.

— John Szabo, MS

Zanfa Bros Pizza

Gelato

Burrata with cherry tomato sauce and basil from Trattoria Armando

Nonno Giovanna with daughter Alessandra

An icy reward at secret speakeasy Rasputin

Cheese plate at Le Volpi e L’Uva

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Zanfa Bros Pizza

Gelato

Burrata with cherry tomato sauce and basil from Trattoria Armando

Nonno Giovanna with daughter Alessandra

An icy reward at secret speakeasy Rasputin

Cheese plate at Le Volpi e L’Uva