Fine Food in Florence: A Walking Tour with Context

How did simple Tuscan cooking become the world-famous cuisine we know and love today, and where are the best places in Florence to sample it? On this walking tour, culinary connoisseur and Context Travel expert Adrienne Kovats will help you to experience ‘La Dolce Vita’, while you savor the flavors and stories behind mouthwatering Tuscan delicacies.

At each place, Adrienne will suggest a few typical treats to try as she walks you through the history and culture of Tuscan food and wine. This is a gastronomical experience where you’ll learn how to order a coffee in an Italian bar, visit a local bakery to understand the significance of the bread in the region and, of course, peek into a historical wine bar and cellar – and maybe stay and enjoy some typical Tuscan nibbles.

This walking tour starts at Piazza della Signoria, a square in the ancient city center where you can try Rivoire’s budino di riso, a rice pudding that’s a very popular Florentine breakfast food. This historical café was opened in 1872 and here you’ll learn the history behind hot chocolate, a Florentine tradition dating back to the Medici court in the 1500s.

As you stroll along Ponte Santa Trinita (the oldest elliptical arched bridge in the world), you’ll find out how the region’s simple ‘poor man’s’ cooking evolved. You’ll hear the story behind the Church and Museum of Orsanmichele, originally a grain market in the 1300s before it was converted into a church for Florence’s powerful craft and trade guilds.

And don’t worry, we’ll stop at the wall of Osteria Belle Donne to see one of the city’s 180 wine windows, created when Cosimo de Medici allowed noble families to directly sell the wine they produced at their country estates, without paying tax.

The tour wraps up in Santo Spirito square where you’ll have the chance to explore a daily market and taste local pasta dishes.

Along the way, you’ll also have an opportunity to:

• Indulge in schiacciata, crispy Tuscan flatbread, or panini at the historic Cantinetta dei Verrazzano
• Try lampredotto, a classic Florentine sandwich made with tripe, at L’Antico Trippaio, a food cart
• Deepen your knowledge of local wines at Enoteca Alessi, one of the best wine stores in the city, where you can also learn about the importance of food pairings during a wine tasting
• Go back in time to discover Piazza della Repubblica’s roots as a marketplace during Roman times
• See Palazzo Antinori, a palace bought in 1506 by Niccolo di Tommaso Antinori, and uncover the family’s deep roots in wine production dating back 26 generations
• Discover the origins of Florence’s negroni, a cocktail created by Camillo Negroni in 1919, and sample one at Giacosa1815 Firenze
• Learn about Bernardo Buontalenti, innovator in ice conservation and creator of the modern gelato, before indulging in one at Gelateria Santa Trinita
• Dive into the importance of aperitivo, a fun Florentine tradition involving drinks and snacks, as you explore the more bohemian Oltrarno district

By the end of the tour, you’ll have a better understanding of how fresh, local and seasonal ingredients are essential to the Tuscan food way of life. And, at the end of this day-in-the-life of a Florentine, Adrienne will bid you goodbye with a set of recommendations for more gastronomic adventures.