Simply the best in Tuscany’s restaurants

The Medicis left their mark in the Renaissance city of Florence with the most stunning artistic masterpieces and cultural monuments and with dishes that evoke the gentle harmony of contrasting hills and valleys in the region.

The family might have offered spectacular banquets and hospitality in the splendid palazzo in Florence in a bygone era, but for themselves they liked natural food undisguised by sauces and elaborate artifice.

The essence of simplicity has been well kept till today. Tuscan cooking is rather simplistic and rustic, but it’s not poor. The cooking methods and the skillful use of herbs, wine and oil are underneath such “simple” presentation.

The Tuscan region is also probably the most enduringly famous of all Italian wine regions with a reputation founded on iconic wines such as Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Chianti.

Florence’s fertile restaurant scene is definitely worth a check, with its mix of favorite classic restaurants, authentic “enotecas” (wine bars) and Michelin-starred fine dining. It is a city where you have plenty of grand gourmet choices while, in the meantime, you can still eat simple, hearty local dishes at extremely reasonable prices.