Was probably our fave meal of the trip!
And that table-side olive oil (swoon)
Will be in Rome and Florence in July & August. Home base is a villa in Cortona.
Welcome any additional feedback. Will continue reading threads as there are many on the site.
Make sure you have good AC wherever you are staying. Italy is HOT that time of year.
That was the deciding factor between the two villas we were considering.
Which is why we’ve given up Florence; our last stay we left early because of the crowds, filth, and stench. Too small to handle the hordes. A shame.
Florence definitely draws crowds, not just foreigners but locals from the broader city and region into the small historic district, but we were there several days in September and didn’t experience anything overwhelming crowd-wise. Sure the main attractions have lines eager to experience them, but that’s to be expected. No filth. No stench. Sorry others have seen otherwise. Our daughter then studied there for 3 months and absolutely loved it, living in the historic center, walking everywhere. The area tourists would be is very compact, highly walkable, and wonderfully beautiful. Here are some photos indicating the crowd levels… and, yes, the Ponte Vechio will be crowded, as it should be : ) the photo below includes a large group of people gathered to listen to a wonderful violinist play smack dab in the middle of the bridge.
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Resurrecting this thread as we will be in Florence the first week of February and unfortunately, Pitti e Gola is closed for the first 2 weeks of the month. Definitely a bummer after reading so many positive reviews on this forum. But surely this isn’t the only enoteca worth visiting in Florence! Does anyone have recommendations for other enoteca’s in the city? Or just good restaurants with impressive wine lists?
I did reach out to their other restaurant Osteria dell’Enoteca. Hoping they’re still open so we can at least order off the wine list that way.
We stumbled upon this place in late '21 as they were the only ones that could accommodate a large party on short notice and had a great (and affordable) meal. Very wide wine list, but certainly not going to have the level of Pitti e Gola:
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For wine bars try Le volpi e l’uva or Enoteca Spontanea
restaurants with good list are a bit of a rarity in Florence. Unless you go to the best ones Enoteca Pinchiorri , Vito Mollica , Four seasons it’s difficult to find something well priced with a deep selection. Apparently the Four Seasons has a new seafood restaurant that is supposed to be great, also you can go to Burde only open at lunch time or on friday night
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Relatively new restaurant by the Pitti folks….Oltrarno Osteria. Haven’t been there yet , but 5 star reviews on TripAdvisor
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we’re staying at the four seasons so that’s good to hear
Didn’t find Firenze to have a ton in the way of deep wine lists or good pricing. It’s really a tourist-first town after all. Pretty much nobody lives there anymore (they Airbnb their places for far more than their cost of living). Getting out into the countryside, the wine lists are much more fun and extensive with great pricing.
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We have eaten at Giovanni’s a couple of times and it has always been great food, wine, and service. Especially loved the bistecca.
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also the Pitti Gola people have a wine bar right in front of the four seasons but I guess they all go on vacation at once so it will probably be closed as well
https://www.enotecadegiusti.com/
I’ll be in Florence in July. With this being a Jubilee year, how packed should I expect the city to be?
I probably won’t be looking for high-end dining options as I’ll have finished walking a pilgrimage, but Michelin Bib Gourmand-level will be my aim as well as wondering how much traffic there’ll be given the Jubilee declaration (this can also apply for Siena as well where I’ll spend time)
I’d guess it will be ridiculously crowded. We were in Florence during what I thought would be a quieter shoulder season—late September to early October—and while we had a wonderful time, the crowds were still overwhelming.
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Yea……this is basically what I’m expecting😂
Giovanni would be my number one recommendation as well
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Yes I confirmed all 4 of their locations are closed those two weeks unfortunately