Risotto with Zucchini/Courgette
Working your gastronomical way through the list of must-try food in Florence, you’re gonna eat a lot of (albeit it absolutely delicious) meatstuff, none more famous than the Bistecca alla Fiorentina (that’s beefsteak Florentine style).
But there is also much flare to vegetarian fare in Florence.
Flavours of the fruits and vegetables in Italy will blow your mind (or at least your tastebuds). Tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes, basil whose perfume wafts through the air, fresh-pressed olive oil which is still green and fragrant…
To chew through is an amazingly delicious range of cheese and fresh fruits and vegetables expertly paired together or with wonderful fresh breads for starters.
Get to your entrée and you’ll be facing a delicious bowl of steamy Ribollita vegetable and bread stew (or another of a whole bevvy of great wintery soups and stews) or a hearty pasta or risotto coated with fresh in-season produce.
There are also many great recipes to be made with porcini mushrooms and truffles, hand-collected from the surrounding Tuscan forests.
The original (and arguably best) way to enjoy pizza is the Margherita – simple tomato and mozzarella cheese topping. Any expense in visiting Italy is worth that first (and second and third, etc.) taste of Italian mozzarella cheese – particularly the buffalo variety. For a more vegie-packed option, the ‘vegetariano’ pizza will be the pizzaiolo’s selection of tasty fresh-season vegetables. But there are many of great vegetarian pizza toppings to, um, go ’round.
To try great vegeterian food in Florence, check out the new and lovely Be-Veg Ristorante Vegetariano on Via Orti Oricellari, 6 – Firenze. There is also Il Vegetariano on Via delle Ruote, 30r - 50129 Firenze. Then there is a vegetarian restaurant with a name as delectable as its menu – Il Sedano Allegro (the happy celery) on Via Luigi Carlo Farini, 1 - 50121 Firenze. Popcafé in Piazza Santo Spirito also serves a smörgåsbord of vegetarian pre-dinner nibbles as part of their ‘aperitivo’ each day from 7.30-9.30pm served with a side of music and cocktails.
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To learn to make delicious, typical Italian recipes before indulging in a delicious meal made by you, we have hands-on cooking classes in Florence and Cooking Classes in a Tuscan Villa.
Email staff@artviva.com or check out Artviva Walking Tours website for details of our new Food Tour!
Enjoy tastings of traditional Tuscany products at Tuscan villa estates owned by historic Tuscan families on the Taste of Tuscany wine tour. Walk through the Tuscan countryside and visit a famous Tuscan villa on the Perfect Morning in Tuscany small-group walking tour. Expand your Tuscan horizons on the small-group Best of Tuscany tour visiting Siena, San Gimignano and Monteriggioni too, including lunch and wine tasting at an award-winning wine estate.
To explore other areas of Italy, can check out our Artviva Walking Tours website to read more about the tours we have to offer in Florence, Rome, Venice, Cinque Terre, Umbria, Naples, Pompeii and more.
If you would like to have a private guide accompanying you, we have private tours that cater to your every desire. From Florence (and Tuscany) to Rome, Venice to the Cinque Terre and beyond, we are at your beck and call.