Following a stop in Venice, my 21 and 24 year daughters and I will be moving on for 3 nights in Florence and 3 nights in Rome. We have our hotels and reservations for Uffizi and Accademia in Florence. Any suggestions for good cafes, reasonably priced? Looking into Angel Tours for Vatican. Any other suggestions from folks recently returned from these 2 cities??
Posted by
Fremont, Ca, USA
1 posts
I am in Florence now. Had a great time at a resturant called Il Latini. Opens at 7:30 fills up fast. They just brought food, never did see a menu. 4 of us with wine, 180 euro. My one big splurgge for the trip.
Also Steve recommendation for Grom is right on
Posted by
Ramona, CA
63 posts
Are you up for a bike ride in the country during your stay in Florence? My wife and I (in our 50s) just got back from a trip where we hooked up with a bicycle touring company (http://www.tuscany-biketours.com/) for a day trip out of Florence. They pick you up in Florence at 10AM from the south side of the Ponte Alle Grazie, which is the next bridge up-river from the Ponte Vecchio, and drive you in their van to Castello di Poppiano in the Tuscan countryside. You then take a tour of this medieval castle's winery and get to taste their wines and olive oil. Then we were all fitted with 21-speed bikes and helmets and set out for a short ride (coasted most of the way) to an included farmhouse restaurant lunch. From there it was mostly a flat pedal back to the castle, where they vanned us back to Florence by 5. For 60 euros per person it was a great way to spend a day away from the city and crowds. There are panoramic views, stops for photo ops, and good food and wine. The only really steep part of this ride is optional. If you're not ready for the olympics, the van will schlep you and your bike the half mile uphill to the water stop. Aside from that and the mild incline out of the castle's driveway it's an easy ride that you do at your own pace.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32352 posts
Linda, one restaurant in Florence that I really enjoyed was Il Grillo Parlante. The owners (Antonio & Stefania, as I recall) were wonderful, and the atmosphere was somewhat "informal" (almost like a "family" atmosphere). IMO the food was awesome (in fact, I gave the Chefs so many compliments, they insisted on having a photo taken with me!).
It seemed to be a popular location, as there seemed to be a group of "regulars" that showed up there just about every night. Dinners were always a lot of fun! I hope to pay them a return visit some day, though not sure when that will be. If you decide to pay them a visit, give them my regards (they probably wouldn't remember me, but who knows?)
Happy travels!
Posted by
Fort Worth, TX, USA
129 posts
Angel Tours was awesome!
Chris was absolutely right about Il Latini in Florence. This was the best meal we had on our trip.
I had a lot of notes about Florence and Rome. I posted them online with photos at http://www.websiteauthor.com/photographs/italy/, including restaurant reviews and descriptions of the current conditions at many of the sites.