Restaurants in Tuscany Florence Chianti

Florentines are justifiably proud of their robut food, claiming that it served as the basis for French cuisine when Catherine de Medicis took a battery of Florentine chefs with her after she reluctantly became queen of France in the 16th century. You can sample such specialties as creamy “fegatini“ (a chiken-liver spread) and “ribollita” (minestrone thick-ened with bread and beans and swirled with extra-virgin olive oil) in bustling, convivial trattorie, where you share long wooden tables set with paper place mats. Like the Florentines, you can take a break at an enoteca (wineshop and/or wine bar) during the day and discover some little-known but excellent Chiantis and Super Tuscans.
Every region of Italy has a distinct, timetested cuisine that's a source of pride equally felt in family kitchens, modest trattorias, and sophisticated restaurants. What Italians hold in common is a respect for the pleasures of the table: They take the utmost care in creating staples - bread, wine, cheese, and olive oil are just the beginning of the list - and build their cuisine from there. Another shared characteristic of Italian food is a tendency to revere the most humble ingredients; chef will devote the same attention to day-old bread as to priceless truffles. There's often a hint of the exotic on the menu, but the more exotic an item seems to you, the more likely it is to be distinctly local in origin.
A typical Tuscan repast starts with an antipasto of “crostini” (grilled bread spread with various savory toppings) or cured meats such as “prosciutto crudo” (cured ham thinly sliced) and “finocchiona” (salami seasoned with fennel). “Primi piatti” (first courses) can consist of local versions of pasta dishes available throughout Italy. Peculiar to Florence, however, are the vegetable-and-bread soups such as “pappa al pomodoro fresco” (bread-and-tomato soup), ribollita, and, in the summer, a salad called “panzanella (tomatoes, onions, vinegar, oil, basil and bread). Before they are eaten, these are often christened with un “C” d'olio, a generous C-shape drizzle of the sumptuous local olive oil. Unparalleled among the “secondi piatti” (main courses) is “bistecca alla fiorentina” - a thick slab of local Chianina beef, often seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper, grilled over charcoal, and served rare. “Trippa alla fiorentina” (tripe stewed with tomato sauce) and “arista” ( roast loin of pork seasoned with rosemary) are also local specialties, as are many other roasted meats that pair especially well with Chianti. E “secondo” is usually served with a “contorno” (side dish) of white beans, sautéed greens, or artichokes in season, all of which can be drizzled with more of that fruity olive oil.

Il Paese dei Campanelli
Loc. Petrognano
055 8075318
Closed Monday

Antica Trattoria la Torre
Piazza del Comune 15
0577 740236
Closed Friday

Osteria Livornese
Viale Umberti I, 2
0571 542611
Open every day for lunch and dinner

Very good family restaurant. Specialty see food. Good price
***

I Palmenti
Via della Pesa 89
0571 913326
Close Monday

Restaurant Pizzeria. Tuscan specialties. Garden terrace