Off to Florence via Pisa next weekend.
The sight seeing is taken care of and we have a river front restaurant booked for one evening.
Any recommendations for nice restaurants or bars in Pisa and Florence that are not the usual tourist traps, we don't mind going off the beaten track.
Thanks.
Visited Florence a number of times and always head to Buca Lapi, corner of Via del Trebbio, Florence ......for a great steak.
The oldest restaurant in Florence (1880) with fab cellar location.....check it out, booking essential or stand at front door at opening time to grab the unreserved table.
bucalapi.com
There are loads of really good restaurants in Florence (I have not been to Pisa so cannot comment) so just wander around and pick the one you like the look of whenever you feel like it.Originally Posted by Riley
Not that easy apparently, have heard that reservations are a must at the decent places and I'm not into queuing for my dinner.
Florence is a lovely city.
Head over to the south side of the Arno. It's less busy and there are some lovely places near Piazza Santo Spirito. There is a nice market there too.
I spent 4 nights there late May last year. I walked around and had no trouble at all finding a table in a good restaurant. The timing was around 8.00pm - 8.30pm.
My hometown was Florence, and lived there 26 years. Go there three times a year to see my family.
tell me what type of restaurants you are looking for, and in which area you have your hotel and will give you a few names of places I have enjoyed.
Few florentines go to Buca Lapi. Have never eaten in Pisa do not know why.
Bws
franco , Sheffield
Last edited by Franco; 3rd May 2019 at 16:05.
I suppose you won't go with your car. If you do: cars are not allowed in Florence' city centre. Good news is that there are parkings scattered around the city centre. We had no trouble parking the car in Florence. Pisa is even better: you can park your car less than 200m from the Tower. FoC when we visited Pisa in '16 or '17. Our Volvo's satnav found it for us.
We had lunch in Pisa in pizzaria called Duomo in the Via Rome, just across the square. We landed there because (it was on a Sunday) we were the only north-Europeans. Wall-to-wall Italian families; 3 or 4 generations. My wife and I had visions of The Godfather and The Sopranos. According to Tripadvisor, there are flaws: waiting etc. But we didn't encounter that.
Menno
We stayed in Viareggio for a week a few years back. Expensive but nice. We had a rental car so we could travel about.
I was forewarned by a colleague that Pisa is a dump and indeed that's the case. Go and take a photo of the tower, get hassled by the "looky looky" men and get the hell out of there.
We didn't do Florence but did go to Lucca (a pretty walled town) and Siena, further to the south. I can recommend both of them, if you're travelling. Siena is on top of a geet big hill though, so expect a bit of a climb. It's worth it. The cathedral is beautiful (I may be an atheist, but appreciate nice architecture and it's amongst the best I've seen). They also do a mental bareback horse race called "Palio di Siena" there a couple of times a year, there's videos on Youtube if you're interested. It'd never happen in this country as Elf and Safety would blow a gasket..
Cheers,
Plug
Lots of good options listed. If you don’t mind getting 20 minutes outside Florence, try lunch or dinner in the loggia at the Villa San Michele. Incredible view over Florence. Fiesole nearby is also beautiful and some good places to eat.
We were there this time last year, it’s amazing.
Here is my thread and I will be back to you with some restaurants
https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...s-thoughts-etc
Pitch
Visited Pisa a couple of years ago - busy, but manageable. Had a spot of lunch without issue but I suspect dinner may be busy.
Lovely part of Italy.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
All good Fanco??
Best regards
Paul
All OK Paul,
Seems like if advise is more than sufficient 😃 Florence offers so much art and history, personally I would choose a time of the year when it is relatively deserted by tourists, like In the autumn.
Sorry I can’t help on where to eat & drink as we haven’t been to Pisa yet, but I can recommend a drink if you can find it .
Peroni Rossa Gran Riserva, a dark lager not available in the UK, I drank nothing else when in Rome.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
You're in luck..
https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/produc...-663156-663157
Cheers,
Plug
(And therefore Ocado too.)
If you are into beers, and want to try some local produce, you should go for lunch at the sandwich/panini/birra bar in via dei Servi (near the Duomo) called “Amorino Panino E Vino” . They have great beers from a florentine microbrewery, called “Birrificio Fiorentino”.
Bws
Franco
Last edited by Franco; 4th May 2019 at 17:04.
Volpe e l'uvo wine bar on the south bank, superb and used by the locals. Say Hi to Illaria for me.
- - - Updated - - -
Volpe e l'uvo wine bar on the south bank, superb and used by the locals. Say Hi to Illaria for me.
Pisa good for the day. Quiet at night.
Florence? Ristorante Dino on Via Ghibellina. Opt for the wild boar (cingale) in chocolate sauce. Delectable. I last ate there 5 years ago but remember the dish, the restaurant and the road off by heart. That must be saying something.
Thank you Sir, I feel a short shopping trip is on the cards.
Pop into Hotel L’orologio even just for a drink. The hotel is dedicated to watches. https://www.hotelorologioflorence.com/
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Thanks to all that have replied, I'll make a note of the suggestions and pass them on to management!
To be fair everyone I speak to says it's a lovely city.
I love authentic Italian food and the odd glass of Italian red so I always look forward to an Italian trip. We visited Sorrento a couple of years ago and found some great restaurants in the quieter parts of town. We are off to Sardinia too this summer so more of the same.
Now, what watch to wear?
Take a Panerai to its spiritual home?
Just an update.
Florence was indeed a very nice place to visit as was Pisa if only to see the tower.
Mick P was correct, we had no trouble finding a table for dinner and we found a couple of very nice small restaurants serving excellent food and wine. The city was very busy during the day but seemed a lot quieter at night.
What surprised me most was how reasonable everything was: Coffee @ 2.50 euros, very decent Chianti 20.00 euros, a nice plate of pasta 10 euros. I expected big City prices.
Oh, and i took the PO which preformed impeccably.
Forgot to add that the Ponte Vecchio bridge is a watch lovers dream. Rolex, PP, VC boutiques all present along with other brands.
Last edited by Riley; 16th May 2019 at 14:00.
I used a few of the recommendations from Pitch thread (I missed his post in this one!) and enjoyed a week in Florence in February half term just as the season started.
https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...light=florence
If you want to try a different starter, main and dessert, all of us (kids and friends) really enjoyed the variety here:
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attrac...e_Tuscany.html
Last edited by Chicken Pox; 16th May 2019 at 14:12.
I'm just back from 3 weeks traveling around Italy and Florence was my favorite city by far, lovely place.
Good taste :-) Everytime I go back, always something new to see
Poor quality food ! . Very dissapointed. Better Italian food in Benidorm.
Been about 6 times now just for the day with Royal Caribbean.
Great place to visit though.
Will go again.
Ha ha ! Poor quality food, worse than benidorm .... it depends where you have been. Without going to one of the eight places with Michelin stars (the Pinchiorri has three), there are dozens great places to eat. Guess you were unlucky, Royal Caribbean must have brought you were it was convenient for them.
Last edited by Franco; 17th May 2019 at 12:18.
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