SCENTED FLORENCE: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO FLORENTINE PERFUMERY
 |
| © The Bible of Niche Perfumes |
◦ ON ORIENTALISM, SPONSORSHIPS AND A SERIES OF UNEXPECTED EVENTS: INTRODUCTION (& DISCLAIMERS )
◦ LIST OF SHOPS, BOTTEGHE AND MUSEUMS RELATED TO PERFUMERY
◦ WHEN TO VISIT AND WHAT TO SEE
◦ BRIEF OUTLINE OF FLORENTINE PERFUMERY BRANDS AND SHOPS
◦ RESTAURANTS AND BARS
◦ EXTERNAL RESOURCES
ON ORIENTALISM, SPONSORSHIPS AND A SERIES OF UNEXPECTED EVENTS:
INTRODUCTION & DISCLAIMER
◦ INTRODUCTION: I am originally from a 1 hour away city from Florence, which is quite a privilege considering how such strategic position allowed me since childhood to get extremely familiar with the most important Italian cradle of the Renaissance.
The problem with Florence is that it turns more expensive for fellow Italian citizens than tourists: for example, knowing where to park within reasonable distance to the city centre is quite complicated, without considering how you won't spend less than 20€ per day, or museums are all charging fees, and the prices are pretty high (usually singular tickets are no less than 10€ and their avarega price is around 18-20€).
Florence requires time to get familiar with the city (and most of all, to not get scammed!). Once you get comfortable with small streets, Florence shows its real facade.
This city is made of thousands of artisans who will impatiently wait for you to share their stories. Some are made by an entire family legacy, passing the artistry and handcraft knowledges from parents to children.
It's the first time I plan a stay entirely centered around fragrances. The results probably are questionable, considering how my other two travelling companions had very little to do with perfumery, and showed some understandable resistance at the twentieth mouilettes of the day. The last time I was in Florence was for Pitti Uomo with my partner, so I got some reasonable glimpses of Florence during its most crowded season.
While avoiding mass appealing destinations during a pandemic is the most reasonable decision, Florence is quite easy to explore while avoiding main streets and mobs by taking minor parallel streets to the main ones. Wandering around those picturesque small streets made in old tiles with occasionally acute and unpleasant odors of urine (you know, big city life, right?) will actually allow you to explore the essence of this magical place in its authentic, anti-touristy identity.
If you're not a tourist yerk, Florence will pay you back with the most beautiful stay.
The perfumery scene in Florence is probably one of the most conservative in Italy, if not in Europe. Although Florence has one perfumery school (at Antica Erboristeria San Simone), the art of perfume making is still mostly apprehended through artisanal apprenticeships and self-study.
When it comes to a collective predilections for particular notes, there is a certain hostility towards marine and aquatic scents- of which I did not yet understand the reason, but I suppose since Florence proud itself for working mostly with Italian raw materials, synthetic molecules are still often a taboo (a lot of perfumeries will have a more traditional approach, and I found only Lorenzo Villoresi to be transparent about using synthetics without any sinister narrative around it), I also suppose that we tend to favor smells that are familiar to us, so stronger notes like citruses, tobacco, oakmoss or iris will recur more often in Florentine fragraces.
Another delicate point I cannot avoid mentioning in the guide is the terminology widely used and accepted in Florentine perfumery. Touching briefly the gender roles aspect (which by the way would be very interesting to spend few more sentences on), no shop avoided gendering fragrances. Every time I wanted something with spices or woods, I was always recommended a blend with floral or sweet notes because of my aesthetic leading towards feminine.
One of my purchases is marketed as extremely masculine and strong, and when I put it on the counter the cashier was so surprised and warned me saying this might become too "masculine" (for whatever that means, the scent is actually herbaceous with sensors of chamomille or mimosa, and so light that I still can't see why this one in particular is marketed as "masculine").
But let's move on to the more caustic and necessary part of this premise: the use of the term "oriental" (apologies in advance for using this word, I will try to limit it as possible).
We wrote on this theme previously on why this term should have no space in contemporary perfumery due its racist connotations and its unclear, multiple and too generalized meanings. Well, every perfumery in Florence used it.
There was seriously no exception.
In Italy the social and sociological debate on racism is relatively new, and not because ''Italy has no racist history'' (actuallly, it was one of the most violent countries during fascist regime and colonized few African countries like Libya, Somalia, Ethiopia or Eritrea), but instead because it has been intentionally omitted for years in order to create a facade of a 'tollerant democratic country' when in reality is one of the most xenophobic European states.
I spoke mostly with all the sales assistant about the problem with terms like o******l and why it should be avoided, but the response, usually aroused from a dramatic stupor following my words, was A) that this term is useful in perfumery to group notes under an umbrella term, and that B) it is not meant offensively but instead as a sort of romantic tribute to the classical eurocentric narration of anything different from Western culture.
As we can see, the answers I got are clearly problematic, but not deliberately racist.
As explained before, Italy has a lot to improve on an educational side an I know those episodes came from a sincere naiveness and ignorance.
The only brand that showed some interest and opening towards the conversation was again Lorenzo Villoresi, but I believe the consumer has a lot of power in perfumery, so I highly recommend when visiting those shops to ask them to update their terminology (and stop gendering their scents would be great too).
◦ DISCLAIMER: It's important for us as a blog to clarify few points.
Since our ethics code is not out yet, it is your right as a reader to wonder if there are any sponsored experiences in the guide regarding hotels, restaurants or even shops, and I am glad to answer all the itinerary was funded by my savings.
The only semi-gifted episode that occured was during our lunch at Pino's Sandwiches, where Pino offered us wine- which by the way, happened on some random reaons: we planned last minute to try Pino's Sandwiches and was not by any means required in exchange to write some positive words on his business.
Some Italians have this thing about "gifting" a coffee or a glass of wine when you go to their cafes or restaurants, which I do not like but trying to make them change their mind will result offensive to them.
Nevermind, apart from a glass of wine at Pino's, no hotel, restaurant or perfumery asked me to cover them or write some nice feebacks (as you will read later, I had some conflicted feelings on certain venues and will not exclude some not entirely positive experiences from the guide). All the products I bought were paid with my money and the only free things I received where the mouillettes I tried in some shops.
On this vein, I also want to clarify that my budget may not be similar to yours.
For this reason I will not recommend hotels (but here's a tip: Airbnbs in the city center will hardly be convenient or "cheap"; usually they end up costing like a hotel; for this reason, I recommend checking also B&Bs and hotels, especially around Santa Maria Novella).
We did suggest some hotels in our previous guide to European capitals of perfumery, because when we (Reggie and I) travel we like to rest in nice hotels; we'd rather save money for a hotel than spending them in other activities, but this might not be the same for you, and it's totally ok. So if the restaurants and bars sound too expensive, I am in advance sorry.
Florence is overall an expensive city, so even when it comes to a nice big schiaccata (a sort of hamburger but with crispy focaccia stuffed with local vegetables, sauces and cold cuts), you will hardly find one for less than 5€. As always, Trip advisor might be more helpful with budgeting than this guide, especially considering I am not a hotellerie or even schiacciata or negroni connoisseur.
Concluding with disclaimers, unfortunately the trip was terminated way sooner than planned. One of my travelling companions had some unexpected severe health complicances so we didn't manage to cover all the shops we intented to visit. I will hopefully be able to conclude the itinerary no later than summer 2022, so this guide is in constant evolvement.
The shops we didn't manage to visit will be still added to the list but colored in red, in case they might turn useful to you.
LIST OF SHOPS, BOTTEGHE & MUSEUMS
RELATED TO PERFUMERY:
◦ AquaFlor in Borgo Santa Croce, 6
◦ Acqua di Firenze in Via delle Belle Donne, 15b
◦ Antica Erboristeria San Simone in Via Ghibellina, 190
◦ Antica Farmacia Munstermann in Piazza Carlo Goldoni, 2R
◦ Farmacia S.S. Annunziata in Via dei Servi, 80r
◦ Bottega Italiana Spigo in Borgo Santi Apostoli, 27/r(official flagship store of Bois1920, I Profumi di Firenze and Olfattology)
◦ Lorenzo Villoresi in Via de' Bardi, 12
◦ LUSH Perfume Library in Via dei Calzaiuoli, 94
◦ Mirko Buffini in Piazza Cesare Beccaria, 2
◦ Museo della Cipria at Olfattorio Bar a Parfums in Via De' Tornabuoni, 6
◦ Museo Lorenzo Villoresi in Via de' Bardi, 12
◦ Museo Salvatore Ferragamo in Piazza di Santa Trinita, 5R
◦ Officina De' Tornabuoni in Via de' Tornabuoni, 19/n
◦ Officina Farmaceutica Santa Maria Novella in Via della Scala, 16
◦ Sileno Cheloni in Via di S. Niccolò, 72R
◦ Spezierie Palazzo Vecchio in Via Vacchereccia, 9r
◦ Stabilimento Chimico Farmaceutico Militare in Via Reginaldo Giuliani, 201
◦ Teatro Fragranze Uniche in Via Porta Rossa, 11R
 |
| © The Bible of Niche Perfumes |
WHEN TO VISIT AND WHAT TO SEE
In my experience, the best periods to visit Florence are when the Pitti exhibitions are going on. I especially enjoy Pitti Uomo due to the beautiful cosmopolitan environment different people bring around. Florence is a quite a 'sui generis' Italian city, due to its tied historical relations with England and Netherlands for over centuries, and you'll find a lot of locals fluently speaking english.
The weeks of Pitti Fragranze (usually at the beginning of September) are particularly recommended to stay in Florence if you're a fragrance aficionado, but please keep in mind Pitti exhibitions are not open to the general public (this means you need to work in the cosmetic branche for viewing the expositions).
Now, the attractions change depending wherever it's the first time visiting Florence or you're pretty confident around the city center.
If it's the first time visiting Florence, a stop at each of the main tourist attractions is necessary (Santa Maria Novella, the Duomo, Uffizi and Bargello museums, Boboli gardens, Piazza della Signoria and so on), but they will hardly lose their charme even during the following stays. I always love reserving an entire day for the Uffizi, so it's a pretty personal matter when it comes on how to spend your time around this Renaissance site. Even just taking a walk around the Arno river or getting lost in the Bellosguardo neighborhood is always worth.
A secret place (well, not so secret) I always make sure I visit when I'm around Florence is the Maiano Villa (12 km away from the city centre), where Queen Victoria loved to stay and its garden offer a suggestive view on Florence and the surrounding hills.
 |
| Maiano Tower in Villa Maiano, beloved by Queen Victoria during her stays in Florence. © The Bible of Niche Perfumes |
BRIEF OUTLINE OF FLORENTINE PERFUMERY BRANDS AND SHOPS
1. AQUAFLOR
 |
| © The Bible of Niche Perfumes |
The original store of the brand Aquaflor is situated few minutes away from Ponte delle Grazie.
The brand has an immense, if not overwhelming fragrance catalogue of 30ml or 100ml bottle sizes, sold in a suggestive ambience.
My experience visiting the store wasn't the best: I found a not so kind assistant and the fragrances weren't the easiest to smell on the types of mouillettes available which absorbed immediately the juices and resulted in making most of the scents I've tried to smell almost identical. The boutique is elegant and the lounge atmosphere is very suting, but for someone who has some issues in seeing anything in dark spaces (me for example), it won't be the easiest time. It's decorated to the minimum details with some interesting oggettistica related to perfumery and apothecaries, to the point it almost has the potential of becoming a museum boutique, but lacks in any proper explanations of the various exposed items and ends up on appearing merely for aesthetical reasons.
 |
| © The Bible of Niche Perfumes |
Waiting for their discovery set to give another chance to their fragrances. For now, I am not tempted in revisiting them, at least in their Florence store.
QUICK RECAP OF THE SHOP
◦ FRAGRANCE CATALOGUE: a bit too vast and quite intimidating for my personal taste, requires minimum a proper hour for testing and trying even just one of their fragrance families. The mouillettes absorbed the juice immediately so cannot express exhaustive conslusions on their fragrances.
◦ STAFF:: I hope it was just a bad day when I visited but my sales assistant discouraged any next visit to their store in Florence. Considering the pretty snob approach of the assistant, they didn't even have any proper knowledge on the perfumery to justify such haughty mood.The younger assistants are much more relaxed and knowledgable- if you can choose, try to get help from them.
◦ DOES THE BRAND SHIP INTERNATIONALLY? Yes.
◦ PRICE RANGE: their offer different collections, so the prices vary. A 30ml costs no less than 90 to 120€. They only offer at the moment apart from the 30ml sizes, the classic 100ml flacons.
◦ DISCOVERY SET / SAMPLES? : Should be soon available on their website.
◦ USEFUL INFORMATIONS AND WEBSITE: It is still not one of the most crowded perfumeries but it's slowly becoming more known to the general public, so the ideal time to visit is from 5:50 pm to 7pm.
For more info, check the Aquaflor official website.
2. ANTICA ERBORISTERIA SAN SIMONE
 |
| © The Bible of Niche Perfumes |
Antica Erboristeria San Simone was the first boutique we visited and probably, due to a lot of coincidences, it turned out to be the most welcoming and impressive shopping experience of our stay.
Few meters from Bargello museum and Pino's sandwiches, the apothecary hosts different specialities, from teas, herbs, to perfumes, home fragrances. Founded in 1700 and currently owned by a couple - a chemist turned nose and her husband trained in natural medicine-, this is the most enchanting secret gem no other guide tells you about. The interior is curated and clean, with different mixed styles and not exactly meeting my personal taste, but it does highlight well the attention the two owners put in nature-derived products. When we visited, Mr. Russo kindly illustrated the history of the apothecary and was extremely available in aswering any further questions. He told us the apothecary is also home to the only Perfumery School in Florence and proudly mentioned the successes of some of their students.
 |
| © The Bible of Niche Perfumes |
QUICK RECAP OF THE SHOP:
◦ FRAGRANCE CATALOGUE: diverse and balanced catalogue. Not the safest blind buys but worth every penny for the quality. You will find a lot of fragrances with base notes of rose wood and I warn you, do not except classical tobacco scents. Please always check the notes pyramid first and possibly try at least on the mouillettes first before buying.
◦ STAFF: Extremely helpful and kind owners who usually work as sales assistants. We only met Mr. Russo who's not the parfumer of the brand but was exhaustive enough and allowed a certain autonomy in testing, which I really appreciate as a client. Never felt the pressure to buy or go away from the shop, even after the tenth spray on a test stripe.
◦ DOES THE BRAND SHIP INTERNATIONALLY? Yes
◦ PRICE RANGE: 50ml for 55€. Customized fragrances (made with the nose) for 100€/ 50ml
◦ DISCOVERY SET/SAMPLES? Not currently available.
◦ USEFUL INFORMATIONS AND WEBSITE: The boutique offers additionally to teas, skincare and home fragrance the possibility to create a fragrance with the nose for 100€ and the apothecary is home to the only Perfumery school in Florence (more details available on their website).
For more info, check the Antica Erboristeria San Simone website.
3. LORENZO VILLORESI
 |
| photo by Firenze Urban Lifestyle |
I must start with some apologies because I was so transported during my shopping experience at Lorenzo Villoresi that I forgot taking pictures.
The boutique is situated within the Palazzo Villoresi, the palace of Villoresi family, in one of the calmest and greenest central areas of Florence. While waiting for the guided tour at their museum, we spent wandering around the neighbrhood which offered some suggestive views on Arno and Brunelleschi's dome. If you follow Costa Scarpuccia street, a yellow house covered in ivy with some cheeky kittens on its windows will almost evoke the famous 'Pink House' in Monmatre, Paris, but additionally, you'll have a sneek peak on one of the most romantic views on the rooftops of Piazza Santa Maria del Fiore area. Going up further, you'll find Galileo Galilei's house, the beautiful Church San Giorgio Alla Costa and Bardini Gardens, with finally few charming houses going down the hill in order to return on the Lungarno.
But let's go back to Villoresi boutique: the interiors are extremely luxurious and curated, with a strong contrast between dark woods and the cold white of the walls. All products are exposed with elegance and none of them overwhelms the other.
Additionally to fragrances (usually eau de toilettes sold in 2ml, 50ml and 100ml), Villoresi sells home fragrances, pout porries and has an interesting selection of books related to perfumeries. The nose behind the brand is Lorenzo Villoresi himself, and the boutique is actually situated next to his laboratories.
The staff is well trained and knowlegable and will offer a very attentive assistance in your shopping experience. They guide you majestically to the right purchase and do not put any pressure on the visitors. I bought some postcards of the museum and their customizable discovery set of 4 samples. I felt in love with their 'Piper Nigrum' during the guided tour to their museums and couldn't remember its name, but the assistant immediately helped me and made me smell it again. While selecting the four fragrances, she was patient enough and available to make me try on mouillettes different scents before creating my discovery set.
When visiting, a sniff is necessary on the bestseller of the house 'Teint de Neige', a timeless powdery scent with roses and an intoxicating flower bouquet, but I highly recommend also 'Musk', 'Piper Nigrum', 'Theseus' and 'Atman Xaman'.
Another necessary stop to understand Florentine perfumery.
QUICK RECAP OF THE SHOP
◦ FRAGRANCE CATALOGUE: Well balanced and diverse catalogue, just bare in mind it is not the most exhaustive for marine and acquatic scent lovers.
◦ STAFF: Extremely professional, knowledgeable and cordial staff.
◦ DOES THE BRAND SHIP INTERNATIONALLY? Yes
◦ PRICE RANGE: 50ml for 90€, 100ml for 124€.
◦ DISCOVERY SET/SAMPLES: Customizable discovery set with 4 samples of 2ml for 16€ (comes with mouillettes and descriptive cards of the selected scents). Singular 2ml samples available for 5€. Fragrance collection discovery set of 16 samples (each 2ml) for 48€ and vintage collection discovery set of 8 samples for 27€
◦ USEFUL INFORMATIONS AND WEBSITE: The boutique sells additionally different books related to perfumery, from history of perfumery to some more technicals related to compositions and compounds. If it might interest you, ask the sales assistant since it's not visible from the perfume store.
For more info, check the Lorenzo Villoresi website.
4. MUSEO LORENZO VILLORESI
 |
| photo by Travel Fanpage |
There are no excuses for a fragrance enthusiast to skip this interactive and multisensorial museum. Ticket prices might not be the cheapest (18 to 10€ for students), but are entirely worth it.
The museum offers along, from the room dedicated to raw materials coming from the original countries where perfumery was inveted and mastered to all the remaining rooms, the possibility for visitors to smell raw materials in an interesting container elaborated appositely for the museum by the brand. All those containers are situated on the adjacent tables exposing the raw materials in their harvesting forms and offer some quick descriptions on their plaques.
One room also draws a particular attention on kids and blind people, offering the possibility to touch the raw materials.
Anoter one is entirely dedicated to different essential oils, synthetic and natural molecules used in perfumery and allows the visitors to smell many of them while the guide explains professionally their differences and why we should stop reproducing the harmful myth that synthetics are dangerous for our skin and health.
I smelled for example real oud, civet, amber, some synthetics like lily of the valley, lilac or musk.
The itinerary is concluded in front of a massive chart of the fragrance wheel made in collaboration with Michael Edwards, and has for every group at least one fragrance paired.
Oh, I was just forgetting: the museum also guides you through the Villoresi gardens, where you will smell some leaves or flowers like bergamot, lemon, vetiver etc.
The only sour note, which I can't omit, is the frequent use of the word 'oriental', both by the guide and the museum itself, presented on different charts or plaques. I spent a good ten minutes at least on this problem with the guide, and she was very open to hear about why this term is offensive and inaccurate. We'll see if any improvement will be later on adopted by the brand and museum, but as I have noticed an honest interest in updating the terminology by them, as always, I encourage to ask perfumers, shops and museums to de-colonize their vocabulary.
USEFUL INFORMATIONS: Museum is only visitable by reservation only, and is recommended to book in advance. If you're visiting and still notice the use of racist terminology (even if done naively), please kindly ask to update the vocabulary of the brand and guide. For more information on prices, opening hours etc., please check the museum's website.
5. OFFICINA FARMACEUTICA SANTA MARIA NOVELLA
 |
| © The Bible of Niche Perfumes |
6. SPEZIERIE PALAZZO VECCHIO
 |
| © The Bible of Niche Perfumes |
You might know this brand also under the name 'I Profumi di Firenze'.
 |
| © The Bible of Niche Perfumes |
When it comes to their fragrance range, the brand covers every fragrance family and has some interesting prices and bottle sizes accomodating all types of budgets. If you're a marine fan, just like me, who also tend to be quite conservative on notes like tobacco, you will probably not find your expectations met by their fragrances, but give all their products a try: their citruses and white flowers are a beautiful revelation.
QUICK RECAP OF THE SHOP:
- FRAGRANCE CATALOGUE: A medium size catalogue covering every fragrance family, with less focus on aquatic/marine options.
-STAFF: Extremely professional, knowledgeable and cordial.
-DOES IT SHIP INTERNATIONALLY? Yes
-PRICE RANGE: 10ml for 24€ to 100ml for 95€.
-DISCOVERY SET/SAMPLES: No samples of discovery sets available at the moment.
-USEFUL INFORMATIONS AND WEBSITE:
For more info, check their webiste.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS
Now, I am not a food or drink expert, but considering the vast offer of bars and restaurant Florence has, I know it might turn useful to have a sincere guide on where to spend your money on. Florence lives on tourism and because of that, most of the central venues charge you way more than what they're really worth in terms of quality but also offers.
There are few places that a cosmopolitan tourist cannot avoid: from Harry's Bar on the Arno, to old Osterie, the following places are stable on my personal list and so of my friends.
NOTA BENE: This section is not alphabetically arranged. The order is structed appositely from venues offering aperitivo, then restaurants and finally late night cocktails/cafes.
1. HARRY'S BAR
 |
| photo by Harry's Bar Firenze |
While the food is ok (interesting menu but in Florence I'd recommend eating somewhere else), this is the sacred hangout venue for Pitti's friends. Especially for Pitti Uomo, this bar and restaurant on the Lungarno gets interestingly crowded by many artists and those working in the sector. Particuarly beloved by americans, sharing a Negroni cocktail or a Bellini in the gardens or on the Lungarno is the chicest aperitivo you can have in Florence. When my partner visits for Pitti Uomo we always go there with friends and each time we meet new people from all around the world. Especially in that week, you'll see a lot of tailored suits and old fashioned personas populating the bar. Pitti Uomo can be tacky, very tacky, when it comes to fashion (most of this demographic tends to go to younger and more eccentric venues), but here at Harry's you'll meet exclusively traditionally well-dressed people and some of the most interesting menswear designers, travel journalist and editors.
Their Villa de' Medici gardens are particularly appreciated by the clintele but during summer I am part of those people who prefer having a drink next the walls separating the Arno river.
Might be slightly more expensive but it's definetely worth a drink or two, especially considering the location, the people, and the best Negroni you'll have in all Florence.
Where: Lungarno Amerigo Vespucci, 22r – 50123 Firenze
Price range: $$$-$$$$ (cocktails around 20-25€ )
Recommended drinks: Negroni, Roger, Dirty Martini, Bellini and Kir
Website: Harry's Bar Firenze
2. I'BRINDELLONI
 |
| photo by TasteAtlas |
This is one of the Osterie par excellence of Florence, and you'll hardly find a table last minute.
The atmosphere is chaotic, at the border with kitsch, but this is what makes I'Brindelloni magic.
Situated in San Frediano, a young area known among Fiorentini for the vibrant atmosphere and many bars and restaurants, I'Brindelloni is an actual cultural institution.
I recommend booking at least 3 days in advance, and have dinner around 8:30pm or 9pm, so that while walking to the venue you can admire summer sunsets, the many bridges of Florence and the Arno river. We always have aperitivo at Harry's and then slowly take the path for I'Brindelloni, which is max 10 minutes away from Harry's.
The culinary offer is traditional Florentine cusine: bruschette, Fiorentina steak, pappa al pomodoro, ribollita etc.
Prices are contained, the location is vibrant and the serivce easy-going and not pretentious.
Where: Lungarno Amerigo Vespucci, 22r – 50123 Firenze
Price range: $$-$$$ ( around 30-45€ for a full course meal)
Recommended dishes: Fiorentina steak, trippa alla fiorentina, pappa al pomodoro
Telephone number: 055 217879
3. TRATTORIA SOSTANZA
 |
| photo by JetSetReport.com |
This is another venue beloved particularly by anglophones, and don't know exactly why.
Don't get me wrong: Trattoria Sostanza is a solid restaurant with the traiditional cozy family-owned vibes and a classical, well made menu, I just need to dig better about this hyper-fixation by Americans and English people in Florence with this trattoria.
Either way, Trattoria Sostanza is a lovely restaurant located in District 1.
I highly recommend starting with some cold cuts and crostini, following with a tortino di carciofi and a filetto ai ferri. The prices are extremely honest, the cuisine is simple yet genuine and well made, the interiors are very welcoming and peculiar to Tuscan identity and cuisine, decorated with beautiful marble tables and covered with photographs narrating the history of the restaurant.
Where: Via del Porcellana, 25/R, 50123 Firenze FI
Price range: $$-$$$ ( around 25-35€ for a full course meal +4€ for the services)
Recommended dishes: Crostini, tortellini al burro or al ragu, filetto ai ferri and tortino di carciofi, t
Telephone number: +39055212691
4. PINO'S SANDWICHES
 |
| © The Bible of Niche Perfumes |
All'Antico Vinaio is fun to try the first time you visit Florence, but on a long run, the kilometric queues and the impossibility to sit down and take your time to enjoy the schiacciata become annoying.
Hopefully there are many alternatives, and my favorite is Pino's Sandwiches.
Schiacciatas are another culinary institutions in Tuscany, and particularly enjoyed for lunch.
What is schiacciata? A schiacciata is a crunchy focaccia stuffed with some cold cults, vegetables and sauces. You'll find many different spots in Florence doing them, and Fiorentini will recommend going anywhere but Antico Vinaio and will tell you to trust a good schiacciata especially if made within a deli or macelleria.
Pino's Sandwiches is situated in the area of Basilica di Santa Croce, and perfectly located for a perfume enthusiast since it's literally 3 minute away from Antica Erboristeria San Simone.
The venue offers the possibility to enjoy a meal both inside and outside, without charging for the service fees.
It is very characteristic: altought it might look a bit "80's" at first due to a démodé yellow business plaque, Pino's feels extremely familiar once you get to order your schiacciata.
Behind the counter and the many exposed delis, Pino hangs proudly tons of different US college flags. My partner says it embodies the:''quintessential American experience abroad"- don't know exactly what it means but I agree, at least from an Italian perspective, that all those flags evoke a sort of nostalgic-homesickness embiance, a place you could Rory Gilmore having lunch while having her European summer holidays.
It gets crowded, so for lunch I recommend arriving around noon.
Pino's Sandwiches offers a wide range of schiacciate, even for vegetarians and vegans (which is a blessing in one of the most carnivor cities in the world). Recommending a Pino's schiacciata is quite impossible as all of them are made with such fresh and high quality ingredients that it all comes at the end to personal taste.
Pino is the chef behind the counter, with a big smile and a similarly massive knife ready to prepare your schiacciata. He is seriously in love with his work and exchanging few words apart from you order will make him even happier.
The waiter is as friendly as Pino, the service is extremely fast and cordial, and all the cons about All'Antico Vinaio find their answers at Pino's Sandwiches. Plus the schiacciata is like 4 to 8€. I am serious: skip All'Antico Vinaio and have a proper schiacciata at Pino's.
Where: Via Giuseppe Verdi, 36R, 50122 Firenze FI
Price range: $-$$ ( 4 to 8€ for a schiacciata)
Website: Pino's Sandwiches Salumeria Verdi
Telephone number: +39055244517
5. CAFFE' CONCERTO PASZKOWSKI
 |
| photo by Histouring |
4€ for an espresso? No thank you. But 12€ for a Negroni Botanico in Piazza della Repubblica is negotiable price considering the quality of the cocktail, the history of the cafe, and the location.
Caffe' Concerto Paszkowski was founded in 1903 and was considered to be one the main pioneers of Italian brewery. It is an extremely elegant Italian cafe, with counters in marble and dark wood, and a lounge atmosphere amplified by the evening live music going on (usually jazz or blues).
Due to the prestigious location it tends to attract mostly tourists, and I'd say that for certain things on the menu is defintely overpriced (I suppose the 4euros for the espresso are for the quality of the coffee, but still for an Italian an espresso over 2 euro is synonym of robbery). Excellent service and considering the different goodies of this place, I still recommend it for a late night drink with some live music going on in the background.
Where: Piazza della Repubblica, 6, 50123 Firenze FI
Price range: $$$-$$$$
Website: https://www.caffepaszkowski.com/
Telephone number: +39055210236
7. HOTEL PALAZZO DAL BORGO
 |
| photo by Hotel Palazzo Dal Borgo |
I wanted to include this hotel mainly because of the beautiful garden where they serve aperitivi.
We stayed for one night at the hotel and last minute decided around 9-9:30pm to have few cocktails there. Walking all day during the summer is tiring, especially when you take with you the wrong shoes, so opting to stay at your hotel's bar can be the best solutions.
While the cocktails are basic (the usual gin tonic, negroni, spritz etc.), they're well made and resonably priced (around 8€) and always accompained with some snacks along. What really makes this venue worth a drink or two is the beautiful internal garden in a suggestive historical palace. The tables are surrounded by lemon and orange trees, you can admire closely the basilica of Santa Maria Novella, there's a relaxing fountain going on all time and the quietness is shocking considering how busy is the street in which the hotel is located.
We had lot of laughs and nice chats next to few drinks in a unique location, all accompained by an extremely kind and available staff.
Where: Via della Scala, 6, 50123 Firenze FI
Price range: $-$$
Website: https://www.hotelpalazzodalborgo.it/en/index.pnp
Telephone number: 055 216237
