good resturants/shopping in Florence?

[blueseagirl]

any advice on good resturants and stores in Florence? We will be doing the 'Taste of Florence' tour through RCCL, so the recommendations need to be close to the 'touristy' parts of the city. Heard there is great shopping in Florence, so we would like to take advantage of that. Thanks!

[cberge]

any advice on good resturants and stores in Florence? We will be doing the 'Taste of Florence' tour through RCCL, so the recommendations need to be close to the 'touristy' parts of the city. Heard there is great shopping in Florence, so we would like to take advantage of that. Thanks!

There are plenty of places to eat in Florence,and if you are just there for the day just grab something quick.The shopping in Florence is really good,and you will find alll kinds of shops in the touisty areas.There is leather,paper,glass,.shoes,leather,coats,and of course Ponte Vecchio where all the jewelry shops are.You will find the market area near the Duomo to be quite good for small items,but you will not have any problem finding shops!!! The high end store(Ferragamo,Gucci etc.) are int the area as well.

[cruisemom42]

I'm headed to Florence for a week at the end of March. I've been making notes and I will post a review of sorts when I get back to help others. I don't like to recommend restaurants without having been there, so I'll hold off on those.

 

Most things in Florence are in walking distance of the center of town. The main designer shopping area (Pucci, Ferragamo, Prada, etc) can be found on or near via Tornabuoni. La Rinascente is a great Italian department store, if you are looking for fashion.

 

There are a number of nice ceramics stores around the central area and most will ship things home for you. I'll post any that I visited and liked upon my return.

 

If you're interested in antiques, via Maggio on the Oltrarno side (other side) of the Arno is supposed to be the place to shop.

 

There are a number of markets; some (like the one near Santa Croce) have leather goods, others have food or more traditional souvenirs.

 

One good place to look for art is in the courtyard of the Uffizi, if you are going there.

 

And, of course, jewelry on the Ponte Vecchio! Not cheap, but if you are looking for Italian craftsmanship and 18K gold, it's worth shopping there.

 

Hope these few tips help for now!

[blueseagirl]

Thank you, ladies! I will be looking for your recommendations in April if you remember, Cynthia!

[linedancer 73]

any advice on good resturants and stores in Florence? We will be doing the 'Taste of Florence' tour through RCCL, so the recommendations need to be close to the 'touristy' parts of the city. Heard there is great shopping in Florence, so we would like to take advantage of that. Thanks!

 

There are lots of nice places to eat near the touristy areas. Lots have set meals with wine at a reasonable price. We particularly liked the restaurant at the Piazza Michalangelo (not the great big posh one the smaller one next to the ice cream shop). We had a lovely meal there and the staff were very friendly. If you want a small snack try some small cafes that look more like a delicatessen, there is one just off the Piazza della Signorina called Vini e Vecchi Sapori. It was recommended in the Lonely Planet but the owners were on holiday when we were there. We had a look in the window and it was tiny, looked more like a butcher's shop!:)

[Darthtater]

There is an open air leather market in Florence (I can't remember the name) does anyone know if it is open on Sunday?

[longislandfamily]

Unlike bridges in the US, pedestrian bridges in Italy have shops on them. The Ponte Vecchio in Florence is full of jewelry shops. The street on both sides of the Ponte Vecchio has lots of leather glove stores. We shopped at Martinelli, but Madova was recommened (but closed on weekends in August when we were there). You can get gloves in every color, size and many more styles than here. I bought holiday gifts for all the women in the family at the leather stores. Upstairs at Santa Croce church is a leather craft school run by the Franciscan friars. It has some very expensive leather goods, but also great small items, like leather change purses stamped with gold, last summer they cost 4 euros.