Spending every summer in Florence is wonderful, but it is also a bit monotonous. I love that Florence has come to be a second home and I know the city inside and out, yet, I do get tired of traveling to the same place year after year. While I certainly have my favorite places that I don’t mind visiting each year, I like to break the monotony of Florence by discovering what’s new in the city each summer. This summer I uncovered a bunch of new and exciting places, mostly restaurants lol, that I wanted to share.
One caveat for this list. Most of these places are new and modern, so not stereotypical Tuscan/Italian — you know small, candle light, with a red checkered table cloth. A lot of tourists fall into the trap of only wanting this type of atmosphere. But, remember, Italians are not frozen in time. They, like Americans, enjoy new, modern takes on cuisine and, like in any major city, new restaurants in Florence follow international culinary trends. All of the new places I tried this summer were amazing and managed to marry the Italian cultural expectations of fresh, organic, and local ingredients with international food trends and flavor profiles.
Gucci Garden
The new Gucci Garden boutique is my new favorite store in Florence. It is a concept store with exclusive Gucci designs for home decor items, clothing, and accessories, as well as a museum showcasing a retrospective of Gucci fashions. Obviously, entrance into the lavish boutique is free, but entrance into the museum is 8 euros. However, half of the museum entrance fee goes towards historical restoration projects around the city. Restoring historic buildings and works of art in Italy has become common place for major fashion houses like Fendi, Prada, and Gucci. In fact the historic building that is now the site of Gucci Garden was saved and restored thanks to the brand.
Gucci Osteria
Culminating the “holistic experience” of Gucci Garden is the osteria (restaurant). The incredible decor is just as lavish as their modern take on traditional Tuscan dishes. I am not sure which I enjoyed more, the food or the stunning decor.
Inferno
Who doesn’t love a modern, well-decorated themed bar and restaurant? Inferno is Florence’s latest take on modern cuisine. In a city of tradition, it can be hard to find a place willing to infuse Tuscan cuisine with contemporary culinary trends. This place is also a bit cheeky — playing off of the inferno theme, all of the drinks or themed as virtues or vices and served in unique classes (we had one in a skull and another in a light bulb). The good news is that the food and drinks are as delicious as the trendy aesthetic.
Rooster
It is official, chicken and waffles has finally made its way to Florence. In a city with so many Americans, I am surprised it took this long. Rooster is a little farm-to-table restaurant specializing in American brunch and dinner. Everything is fresh, made to order, and well-priced. They also have a lot of vegetarian options.
Floret
Floret is a new artisan cafe on the terrace the infamous Luisa Via Roma store. Floret is probably the only place in Florence where you will find an acai or chai pudding bowl. Whether it’s a poke bowl, avocado toast, or gazpacho, you can bet everything here will be organic and trendy.
Foody Farm
Another modern take on American and international cuisine, Foody Farm specializes in fresh local ingredients. They offer half-portions at lunch so you can try lots of different dishes. You will definitely want to try the burgers and the cheese sampler.
Buon Appetito!
If you know of any amazing new places in Florence, please share below!