Trattoria Mario

I lived downtown Florence from 1984 to 2000. I love old school trattorias, but have included some newer places as well.

In 2017, I studied abroad for a semester in Florence, Italy, and just about died and went to pasta heaven! From January through May, I ate like a queen. I honestly have no idea how I afforded to eat out as much as I did. But it was worth every cent! As soon as I was confirmed into the Lorenzo de'Medici program, various friends of friends sent their recommendations and guides for Florence to me. I inherited a wealth of inside knowledge about Florence like the secret bakeries, wine windows, and where to find the cute bartenders. I referred to these guides religiously in the first few weeks of getting my footing before establishing my own favorites around the city and starting my own Florence food guide. There's no doubt in my mind that there are newer additions to the Florence restaurant scene since I was there in 2017. This is just a compilation of my favorite places in Florence from someone who lived there for 5 months! This food guide is like my original Google Doc bullet point list had a baby with my food Instagram, @my600lblife. I've removed any eateries that are no longer in business but kept all my original commentary from 20-year-old Maeve who apparently was only concerned a good deal. Some of them make me giggle and cringe a little but they're authentically me and it's just like my favorite saying, "If you're not cringing, you're not growing." I've included a lengthy list of tips for dining in Italy, a breakdown of the Italian courses and their English translation, and of course, my favorite (and not so favorite) restaurants in Florence including pasta, pizza, panino, caffe, aperitivo, gelato & more! Please tag me on any pictures on Instagram (@maevecutts) so I can live vicariously through your travels to Florence! As always, I'm happy to help you plan a custom itinerary for your trip to Florence! Just reach out to me directly (:

The markets are the heart of the city. They also help you understand what is in season and what to look for on the menus. There are several larger food markets and some other weekly markets in the neighborhoods as well as antiques and flea markets. This is not a complete guide to dining in Florence, but rather where I would eat near the markets. A taste of some of the Florentine neighborhoods. -I also can create your own custom guide including what to see in town paired to where you eat. Send me an email divinacucina@gmail.com or DM me on Instagram @divinacucina