Having been in Florence for over a month, it has struck me that I haven't written a single piece on the food here. There is naturally so much to write about in this area, but I thought I'd start with the basics, talking about the typical Florentine sandwiches, or panini: the schiacciata and the lampredotto. Living on a student budget, the many artisan sandwich shops in the city centre are a frequent stop, so I will talk about my favourite haunts so far.
The schiacciata, literally 'crushed', refers to a sandwich made with focaccia-like bread, if maybe a little denser and thinner. In fact, if you go into bakeries or supermarkets, you won't see 'focaccia' on display but 'schiacciata all'olio', typifying the Florentine pride in having their own take on delicacies found in the entire Italian peninsula. Without a doubt, the most famous place in town for these sandwiches is All'antico Vinaio on Via de' Neri, where the sandwiches feel more like meals than snacks. All day long people queue for the food; they were so popular that they opened a second space right opposite the original, and you can see the busy employees bringing freshly baked bread and other ingredients to and from each outlet. The fillings are very rich, with truffle paste (crema di tartufo), hard pecorino cheese, and typical Tuscan fennel salami sbriciolona being among my preferred ingredients. If the queues are too much, though, another favourite of mine is Pane e Toscana, on Borgo degli Albizi. Here the sandwiches are slightly cheaper, with a much wider range of fillings (I also have a loyalty card here, so there may be some bias here). If you have a little more cash, I'd recommend 'Ino Firenze on Via Dei Georgofili just behind the Uffizi. The ingredients here are all super fresh, and the sandwiches made with truffle oil are to die for. Funnily enough, when I first visited Florence back in April I saw former President Matteo Renzi come in here with his security guards - if it's good enough for him, it certainly is for me!
Another staple of the Florentine sandwich repertory is the lampredotto, made with chopped up tripe, and cannot really be found at all outside Florence. It comes in a fresh roll where the top is dipped in a vegetable brodo (broth) and seasoned with a peppery salsa verde. It is an acquired taste, perhaps, but a very authentic and delicious one for those willing to try new things! Luckily there's a great place on the corner of Santo Spirito near me, called I Raddi. Otherwise, near the market of Sant'Ambrogio in the north-east part of the centre there is a popular lampredotto van called 'Sergio Pollini'. Just ask for a panino completo (many Florentines pronounce the latter word 'hompleto') and for 3.50€ - and 1€ for a cup of wine! - you can join the groups of local builders who go there for lunch. A far cry from the mass tourist places, that's for sure!
Obviously I'm barely scratching the surface here, and could go on and on, but my top advice is to just try places that take your fancy. Nowadays we can simply search Tripadvisor or Google which can tell us where to go, but there's nothing better than discovering these places yourself, and one is certainly spoilt for choice for this in a place like Florence!
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| Even late at night, the queues at All'antico Vinaio are sizeable |
The schiacciata, literally 'crushed', refers to a sandwich made with focaccia-like bread, if maybe a little denser and thinner. In fact, if you go into bakeries or supermarkets, you won't see 'focaccia' on display but 'schiacciata all'olio', typifying the Florentine pride in having their own take on delicacies found in the entire Italian peninsula. Without a doubt, the most famous place in town for these sandwiches is All'antico Vinaio on Via de' Neri, where the sandwiches feel more like meals than snacks. All day long people queue for the food; they were so popular that they opened a second space right opposite the original, and you can see the busy employees bringing freshly baked bread and other ingredients to and from each outlet. The fillings are very rich, with truffle paste (crema di tartufo), hard pecorino cheese, and typical Tuscan fennel salami sbriciolona being among my preferred ingredients. If the queues are too much, though, another favourite of mine is Pane e Toscana, on Borgo degli Albizi. Here the sandwiches are slightly cheaper, with a much wider range of fillings (I also have a loyalty card here, so there may be some bias here). If you have a little more cash, I'd recommend 'Ino Firenze on Via Dei Georgofili just behind the Uffizi. The ingredients here are all super fresh, and the sandwiches made with truffle oil are to die for. Funnily enough, when I first visited Florence back in April I saw former President Matteo Renzi come in here with his security guards - if it's good enough for him, it certainly is for me!
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| The tranquil Via dei Georgofili where 'Ino Firenze is found |
Another staple of the Florentine sandwich repertory is the lampredotto, made with chopped up tripe, and cannot really be found at all outside Florence. It comes in a fresh roll where the top is dipped in a vegetable brodo (broth) and seasoned with a peppery salsa verde. It is an acquired taste, perhaps, but a very authentic and delicious one for those willing to try new things! Luckily there's a great place on the corner of Santo Spirito near me, called I Raddi. Otherwise, near the market of Sant'Ambrogio in the north-east part of the centre there is a popular lampredotto van called 'Sergio Pollini'. Just ask for a panino completo (many Florentines pronounce the latter word 'hompleto') and for 3.50€ - and 1€ for a cup of wine! - you can join the groups of local builders who go there for lunch. A far cry from the mass tourist places, that's for sure!
Obviously I'm barely scratching the surface here, and could go on and on, but my top advice is to just try places that take your fancy. Nowadays we can simply search Tripadvisor or Google which can tell us where to go, but there's nothing better than discovering these places yourself, and one is certainly spoilt for choice for this in a place like Florence!
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