Florence recommendations

Hey all! Looking for any rec’s in the Florence/San Gimignano area for winery visits and eateries. If there are any worthwhile excursions those would be welcome as well. Thanks in advance.

Enoteca Pitti e Gola in Florence - they also have an Osteria. Fun team and a good wine stop.

On a non-wine related hotel, we loved a visit to Aqua Flor for perfumes, soaps, etc. https://www.aquaflorexperience.com/

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try search - this may help

https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/search.php?keywords=florence&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=titleonly&sr=posts&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search

What Lori said, Enoteca Pitti Gola E Cantina. This is probably one of the better wine bars in the world. Particularly if you like old Chianti. We we’re just there maybe 4 days ago,and it was fantastic. Food was very good and Zeno, one of the owners is about as good of a host as one could hope for. He exudes both welcome and enthusiasm. He is happy to engage anyone in a lengthy wine discussion, and the best course is to just tell him what you like and let him pick it for you if you are going to order an old bottle of Chianti or anything else, his wines are his babies. I gave him 68 as a challenge and he came back with
IMG_20190325_204841.jpg
It was amazing at over 50 years. My wife even loved it. Still very alive with significant cherry and red fruits and sous bois lingering all about. It was somewhat round and easy to drink whilst still retaining an acid backbone, and of course interesting and complex. Quite simply lovely in a word.

Dunno what else to say, just trust Zeno. Amazing experience, and I’m quite sure it can be great even if you don’t like old Chianti. We chatted quite a bit about Piemonte and Burgundy of which both he is a big fan.

I wanted to sleep there, wife made me come back to apartment.
So overall, not bad for a winebar.

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Thank you all for the rec’s! I will be making stops at these locations, especially the Enoteca

Very cool. Mine if I ask the cost?

Good tip! Also curious about the cost.

For something very informal, shared communal tables, but awesome Florentine steaks and buttered chicken dish, look up Trattoria Sostanza.

We are doing a week in Tuscany and a week on the Amalfi Coast at the end of June/beginning of July. I’ve been to Italy, but it was over a decade ago and I stayed mostly north (did see Lucca and Cinque Terre)–but were mostly backpacking in the Dolomites. I’ll leave out the Amalfi notes as you won’t be there–but this is what I’ve found that has peaked my interest. From what I’ve read, we are are going to skip Sienna in lieu of some smaller towns: e.g. Volterra, Sorano, Cortona, Pitigliano. Planning a stop at Orvieto, Parco dei Mostri, Civita di Bagnoregio, and Todi (if there is time) while driving south to Amalfi.

While in Tuscany, we have a villa in Greve in Chianti for the first week. For restaurants, places recommended include Albergaccio, Osteria Volpaia, Albergo Ristorante Il Cipresso, Osteria Le Panzanelle, Ristorante Poggio Rosso. Wine and food related but not restaurants or wineries include Accademia Del Buon Gusto (wine muesuem), Enoteca Falorni (wine store and tastings), Antica Macelleria Falorni (butcher and cheese monger). Wineries I’m hoping to visit include near Brunello: Sassetti Livio Pertimali, Azienda Agricola S.Giuseppe, and Pian dell’Orino. Closer to Greve in Chianti I’ve looked at Felsina, Caffagio, Máté Winery, Avigonesi, Poggio Salvi, and Antinori (just for the architecture).

We are interested in thermal hot springs. There are a few but I think the Terme San Filippo Bagni looks less touristy than Saturnia Cascate del Mulino. Pitigliano looks interesting for hiking and it’s very close to the latter though. These will all be places I’ve never been–so there are better experts on this board than I. We only have one night in Florence to catch an early flight so not too much planned there. If time, I’d like to go see some of the Boboli Gardens, AcquaFlor (perfumeria), and some non-David art.

Much of what I’m posting is knowledge from this board and can be found in other threads; there are many if you search.

Since you mentioned San Gimignano, there is a great thermal springs town about 20 min drive , Gambassi Terme. http://welcometuscany.it/special_interest/thermal_spas/florence_gambassi.htm.

Gambassi is also interesting for wine geeks since Villa Pillo, owned by the owner of Williams Seylem. Villa pillo’s wines are first rate and their olive oil was one of the best we tried in Tuscany. They ship directly to the US at great rates and I always get a few bottles of oil each December.

Sorry, I meant to post that, it’s the best part! A little less than $100 for the bottle. I don’t think any old Chianti on the list is more than about 130 Euros, but there could be a couple outliers I missed.

Wow, as someone who loves old (and young, and middle aged) Chianti now I really, really want to go back to Florence.

Super, thanks!

Let me also throw out Le Volpi de L’Uva as another really good winebar. You won’t find anything really old on the list, but the wines are good and Leonardo was a great host. The food is very small plates but good. You could make a meal of it I suppose, but you would have to order one of everything just about. Better suited for a couple nice glasses and a nosh. Right across the Ponte Vecchio.

My favorite wine bar in the world. I recommend it every chance I get, and have never had anything other than great feedback…

Heading there next month. Is the osteria worth doing for dinner or is the enoteca sufficient?

I strongly recommend the Osteria. The place is comfortable from beginning to end - service, atmosphere, selections, food, etc. I go there several times a year, and I leave planning my return. Which pretty much says it all.

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Fantastic. Thanks!

go to the enoteca for a bottle before having dinner at the Osteria. They are only a couple of minutes walk away from each other

Are reservations difficult at the Osteria in the summer? How far in advance can/should you book?

George