Want to Experience the Best Food Tour in Florence?! Eat your way through Tuscany’s gastronomic masterpieces, while spending the morning in the company of our passionate local guides – and connoisseurs! We will guide you from wine-bars to farmers markets, to traditional family-run bakeries, dating back hundreds of years…
Florence’s bustling market halls, best trattorias, and finest local butchers await you – our most popular food experience in Florence!
Savor Florence with all your senses
Our food tour will take you through Florence’s historic streets. This includes finding the unique Florentine “buchette del vino”! These little wine windows date back to the 17th century, and no food tour is complete without them. Have your first sample in a century-old cafe, and enjoy a classic Florentine breakfast. Choose your preferred Italian coffee and pair it with a classic ‘cornetto’ or other pastry. After this, sample your way through the San Lorenzo central food market. Enjoy over a dozen Florentine specialties, including local jams, cheeses and regional wines.
Learn from our passionate foodies
Why do Italians take their food so seriously? Olive oil has to be ‘Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Balsamic Vinger – ‘Aceto Balsamico’ must be from a protected designation of origin (D.O.P). The mark of quality pistachios, the emerald green gem of Sicily, is the ‘Pistacchio di Bronte’. We won’t just tell you what separates quality products – by the end of our tour, you’ll see, smell and taste it for yourself! If there’s one thing we’ve heard clients say again and again, it’s that it’s like they’ve never eaten before.
Local lunch, local recipes
We’ve timed our food tour perfectly so that we end just in time for a delicious tasting menu in a local trattoria. While there, we’ll walk you through the Italian meal, from antipasto, to primo, to secondo and contorni. And, of course, we’ve saved the best for last: gelato!
**We are only offering this as a private tour at the moment due to the impacts of the pandemic
What to eat in Florence?
While in Florence there are many options for what to eat. You can find all the typical Italian restaurants which serve pasta and pizza as well as trattorias serving local specialties. You can also find ‘bisteccherias’ serving Florentine steak as well as plenty of vegetarian and vegan restaurants. You will also see food trucks serving ‘lampredotto’ a secret of Florence! We recommend you try a bit of everything and on this food tour we can help you do just that!
What is traditional Italian food in Florence?
Florence is famous for its beefsteak, the ‘Bistecca Fiorentina’. You will likely see these huge red chunks of meat hanging in the windows of restaurants – whether or not that is appetising to you we can’t say! For your own chance to cook up a real Florentine steak and learn all about it in the fun of our awesome partner trattoria click here to try the Florentine Steak Experience ™!
If rare steak’s not your think, or perhaps you don’t eat meat we also have a wonderful vegan food tour in Florence and a vegan cooking class. You can discover the veggie side of Florence including trying all the traditional Italian food from this region such as Pappa al Pomodoro and Panzanella!
Where to eat in Florence?
In Florence, like many big cities, there are a lot of touristy restaurants, which don’t always have the best food. If you’re going to eat steak check that they have Chianina beef certification, if you’re having pasta, you can ask if they make it fresh ‘fatta a casa’ (homemade). Nevertheless, there are numerous wonderful restaurants to try out and on our food tour we can give you as many tips as you need.
What is Tuscan food like?
Tuscan food can vary hugely. Even though the Bistecca Fiorentina is famous in Florence, Siena, for example is famous for its ‘Pici’ pasta, a type of very thick handmade spaghetti. Then in rural areas, they have wonderful cold cut meats, but also hearty plant-based dishes such as tomato and bread soups, and bean and black cabbage stews. Tuscan food can be different from what people expect from Italian food because it doesn’t focus so much around pasta and certainly not pizza! For pizza you can try Naples or Rome, and Bologna boasts some of the best pasta!
Want to taste the true Florence? Love buzzing markets and fresh local food? Stroll through the city with us to eat and drink like the Italians!
Explore traditional Tuscan food and Italian culinary culture with our food tour as you taste your way through Florence’s historic center.
We’ll visit age-old eateries, market halls, wine bars, and more. This lively tour will introduce you to local flavors and traditions.
What’s more, with our passionate guides you’ll get a personal peek into family-run establishments dating back over hundreds of years…
Meat counters run by expert butchers, bakeries, tripe vendors (a Florentine specialty), delicatessens, and gelaterias await you!
From prosecco and wine to cheeses, olive oil and gelato, our Food & Wine tour of Florence is unrivaled in its quality – and quantity – of delights.
Take home ideas from the farmers’ market, rich with seasonal ingredients and traditions.
The tour concludes with a lunch menu tasting and glass of wine. Followed – of course – by gelato!
Highlights of the Flavors of Florence: A Food & Wine Tour include:
Explore the foods of Florence in a small group, visiting Florence’s best sanctuaries of delectable tastes
See Florence’s central food market with an avid foodie, an expert in fresh local ingredients who is highly skilled at creating typical Tuscan recipes
Visit local butchers, bakers and grocers, for an authentic Italian food and wine experience
Sample over 15 of Italy’s greatest delicacies including scrumptious cheeses, top-quality balsamic vinegar and fresh bread baked with traditional methods
Learn why Italians are so passionate about extra virgin olive oil
Enjoy a taste of dishes from a complete, traditional meal of appetizers, starter and main course
Sample some of Italy’s most popular ‘vino’ (wine)
Conclude your tasting experience, savor in the most loved dessert of all – gelato!
Included:
A great English-speaking guide
More tastings than any other food tour with samplings of great traditional foods and wines
Small, intimate groups, so you can ask as many questions as you like!
A complete lunchtime tasting menu of local specialties
Not included:
Extra courses
Extra drinks/ more wine
Tips
Location:
Florence historic center
Important information
Please let us know any dietary restrictions
Meeting Point
Corner of Piazza Della Repubblica and Via Roma outside the entrance to the Bar/Restaurant called Gilli.
At Via Roma 1r
Florence, 50123
We meet just outside the main street door entry of Cafe Gilli at number 1r via Roma.
Please wait near the door.
Please do not wait in the square or near the column.
Most of our customers enjoy having the benefits of a private tour. You have your own guide. You can have rest stops when you like. We can tailor the tour to suit your needs and preferences. We always choose the best guide for your needs, whether you are a family, an art school, or a company doing an incentive event.
All our tours except our Sex, Drugs and Renaissance tour are kid friendly. When doing a private tour with us, you have your own guide, so tell us in the notes of the booking the ages of your kids and we will tailor the tour and choose a guide that’s great for kids for you. We also have 4 special kids’ tours in Florence.
No large bags or backpacks in museums, in churches shoulders and knees must be covered so bring a scarf to cover your shoulders. IF it’s a walking, bicycle or a countryside tour make sure to bring comfortable shoes. It’s important for everyone to bring their ID
We are offering mainly Private and some Semi-private tours at the moment. We do not offer many semi private small group tours anymore due to the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. The difference between Private and Semi-private is that the private tours are fully private tours with your own guide and the Semi-private are small shared group tours where individuals can join others.
If you enjoyed your tour and would like to give your guide a token of appreciation, tips are happily accepted. When asked, the office staff recommends whatever amount you feel comfortable with giving.
Save time by browsing our website for ideas on romantic getaways, historic residences, palace and castle stays, beautiful views, good value vacations, classic Tuscan country holidays and top attractions. Stop by to chat with us about the best shopping and restaurants in Florence and Tuscany!
Yes. ArtViva, The Original and Best Walking Tours is an ASTA registered company based in Florence, Italy, respecting national and international laws and regulations regarding tourism. (Chamber of Commerce Number 516411)
Reviews
3 reviews for Tastes of Florence: A Walking Food Tour
Rated 5 out of 5
Anthony Hall –
Firstly, learn from our mistake and skip breakfast. With this tour you’ll only need to find your own dinner. Breakfast and lunch are covered. Lara introduced us to the flavors of Florence. She was an excellent guide explaining the nuances of ordering and eating breakfast while standing…a traditional Italian thing. She also taught us the Italian way to eat and drink. At lunch time we had pasta which was prepared al dente (slightly undercooked). Had Lara not explained this was intentional, we would have naively asked them to finish cooking the pasta. All in all a worth while experience introducing you to the culture of Italian cuisine.
Rated 5 out of 5
Lindsey –
I surprised my fiance with this tour for his birthday during our trip to Italy. We absolutely loved it! We ended up on a private tour with Alessandro and he took us on a fun, food-filled tour around Florence. We learned a lot about the typical cuisine and tasted a delicious variety of food and drink. I would definitely recommend this to any foodies coming to Florence!
Rated 5 out of 5
Deborah W. –
Absolutely loved the tour with Alessandro. He was a joy and shared a lot of history and insights with us. He’s fun and open and I highly recommend him as a guide. Thank you for a wonderful experience. It was a highlight of our trip.
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EU's new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect on May 25, 2018. We want to let you know we’ve updated our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions
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Anthony Hall –
Firstly, learn from our mistake and skip breakfast. With this tour you’ll only need to find your own dinner. Breakfast and lunch are covered. Lara introduced us to the flavors of Florence. She was an excellent guide explaining the nuances of ordering and eating breakfast while standing…a traditional Italian thing. She also taught us the Italian way to eat and drink. At lunch time we had pasta which was prepared al dente (slightly undercooked). Had Lara not explained this was intentional, we would have naively asked them to finish cooking the pasta. All in all a worth while experience introducing you to the culture of Italian cuisine.
Lindsey –
I surprised my fiance with this tour for his birthday during our trip to Italy. We absolutely loved it! We ended up on a private tour with Alessandro and he took us on a fun, food-filled tour around Florence. We learned a lot about the typical cuisine and tasted a delicious variety of food and drink. I would definitely recommend this to any foodies coming to Florence!
Deborah W. –
Absolutely loved the tour with Alessandro. He was a joy and shared a lot of history and insights with us. He’s fun and open and I highly recommend him as a guide. Thank you for a wonderful experience. It was a highlight of our trip.