call them tomorrow, make your reservation, case closed. Or, tell me day and time and I will do it for you - plenty of windshield time tomorrow moving from Valtellina to Langhe. I’m never here in summer, ever, so i can’t comment, but if it were me 2-3 weeks ahead would seem practical.
re : OP, in San Gimignano, consider: Cum Quibus Ristorante, Il Ceppo Toscana, and Montenidoli for winery.
Thank you. I could use more winery suggestions. Even around Venice and Lake Como as well.
I loved loved loved Vini e Vecchi Sapori.
Excellent mid-priced lunches and dinners. Several half bottles on the menu.
Reservations are basically required, though 48-72 hrs should be plenty of notice.
La Bussola in Florence…perhaps the most memorable Pizza i’ve had. I’ve gone back each time I’ve returned to Florence…its that good. But, I have to say, I can only speak for one pizza on their menu. IIRC its a “special”, but they have it everyday. Its got local boar salumi and some “sticks of cheese”. It is amazing. They have a whole restaurant, but I’ve only ever sat at the “pizza bar” right near the entrance and ordered pizza. I think their reviews for everything else are mixed. But this pizza is world class:
Trying to attach a pic here…
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Breaking my status as a lurker to recommend Trattoria Mario in Florence. It’s a small, casual, loud eatery open for lunch only. Fantastic food with daily handwritten menus. If possible, arrive early–a queue starts to form 20-30 minutes before opening.
I consider my wife a gelato aficionado and I’ve followed her to many gelaterias accross Italy. I consider Gelateria Santa Trinita in Florence to be the best of them.
I am huge fan of Da Mario as well. The first we ate there there were posters all over the city about a Film Festival and the Professor who hosted it sat at our table and we talked film for 3 hrs and ate together.
Just got to Radda in Chianti. We did Enoteca Pitti e Gola last Friday and it was absolutely wonderful. We had a bottle of 1965 Villarosa Chianti Classico Riserva made by Giulio Gambelli, the godfather of modern day Sangiovese winemakers like Soldera, etc. I would never have known this of course and the extremely knowleadgable team at the enoteca recommended it after I told them to choose something interesting from the 60s for around 80 euro. The wine was gorgeous upon opening (full cork came out with a durand) and showed well for about an hour and a half. We also had an excellent sardine antipasti to snack on.
To add to that experience, we had dinner on Saturday at the Osteria. Not only was the Bistecca Fiorentina fantastic (and we Texans have high steak standards of course) but the team offered to call the enoteca to bring me a bottle because their selection in the fridge wasn’t great at the top. A bottle of 2012 Biondi Santi Brunello, my second choice from my enoteca visit the night before, was at our table within 15 minutes and the dinner was perfect.
I can’t recommend these establishments enough for their wine selection and more importantly for the incredible service and passion of the team.
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David – great update! Glad to hear Pitti e Gola was as special for you as it has been for me…
We are starting our trip in Florence in Sept and will be eating at the Osteria and visiting the wine bar as well. Thanks for the update !
Had this at Enoteca Pitti a couple of days ago. It was delightful at 80e. They kind of tried talking me out of having an old Chianti but once they saw I really appreciated it the wall came down. The server asked, “so which one of you was born in 1974?”. So much fun. This trip has been amazing. In Siena now. There is no driving you can do in the US that adequately prepares you for driving through ancient hillside towns in Tuscany.
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Try Parione in Florence.Excellent wine list and the food is a modern interpretation of fresh and inventive Tuscan food.
Thanks David. This place looks great, restaurant and the pizzeria. On the list for lunch.
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Curious about Enoteca Pitti Gola vs. Osteria dell’Enoteca.
Definitely one to stop at one of them based on the high recs here. Which one should I prioritize in my itinerary for experience?
The former is a wine bar with a small food selection, casual, can buy bottles, lots of fun things to try. The latter is a more formal restaurant, higher end, still with a very nice wine list, but not as deep/diverse. If you want a MEAL, the Osteria (the steak is excellent, as is the pasta), if you are more intent on trying wines with lighter bites, the Enoteca.
Thanks Brad. Yeah the goal is the best wine experience ultimately since there is no shortage of cuisine in Florence. Was curious if the Osteria was basically same wine experience just with food added or if they had limitations in wine options vs. Pitti Gola.
For the wine experience the Enoteca is the way to go. As Brad mentioned the restaurant is very nice but the focus will be on dinner. Usually one or 2 of the owners are at the Enoteca and you can get deep into a tasting or a dive into their incredible list. We love going for light lunch or snacks and diving into their list. Reserve a table outside if you can as well if you go during the day. We’ll be there the first week of October.
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do both!
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Love the Enoteca. Went there twice for dinner when we were in Florence last year and had a fabulous time both times. There is something unbelievably special about being in a tiny place, outside in the evening in basically perfect weather (it was October), eating simpler but very well-prepared dishes (get something with truffles on it) and having really knowledgeable people lead me through excellent wines I knew very little about.
But, the Osteria has outstanding Bistecca alla Fiorentina. When we were there for dinner, we had that with a very nice Brunello. Sommelier walked me over to their wine cooler and we discussed what I like and what I wanted to try and came back with this bottle. Hard to top that.
So, the only logical answer is go to both.
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The Enoteca will do a full menu for you - we had a group of 12 and they set us up outside at a big table in the piazza and matched food with wine. They did a truffle menu for us - pasta, steak, cheese, dessert. Of course we had to order an older wine as well. Staff is amazing and service was top notch.
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