Archive for 'Restaurants & Cafés'

During the summer, I was incredibly sad to find the Gucci Museum in Florence closed on my one day in the city. The whole building – museum, store and cafe – was under construction and closed for a relatively long period of time; if I had done my research properly, I would have known. Yet, it was all for a good reason! Said construction has resulted in an impossibly beautiful building that is a must-see for any fashion lovers who have found a luxury villa in Florence!

On the 10th of January 2018, under the vision of Alessandro Michele, Gucci’s creative director, the museum reopened. Located inside the Palazzo della Mercanzia in Florence's Piazza Signoria that dates to 1337, the Gucci Museum has been open since 2011 and is spread across several floors. Now called the Gucci Garden, it encompasses a boutique that stocks exclusive pieces, an exhibition curated by Maria Luisa Frisa, a rather special gift shop and the Gucci Osteria, which is manned by the three-Michelin-starred chef, Massimo Bottura.

You've finally done it. You've said goodbye to stress, planning, chaos and chores and you've decided to spend Christmas abroad, rather than glued to the kitchen and commitments. You've embraced adventure!

But it's not that simple. Many of us are sentimental about Christmas and the festive period (no matter what you believe or which holidays you celebrate) and it's hard to let go of that entirely. Especially if your social media feeds are full of people gathered in cosy homes with their families. Well, why not have a bit of both? Now that you have found avacation rental in the Florence area, embrace the festivities and the luxury by letting someone else bombard you with delicious food in a lovely setting: the Winter Garden by Caino at the famous and historic St. Regis in Florence.

I'll admit something right off the bat: I like Italian food but I don't love it enough to eat it every day. So, when I recently spent a week in Tuscany, I quickly became tired of similar menus. Fattoria Il Palagio did not have a wildly different menu and, yet, it was the best dining experience that I had in Tuscany, by far.

Located just outside of Scarperia, a small and charming historic town in the northeast of Tuscany, around 25km from Florence, and famous for the production of knives, the restaurant immediately impresses upon first approaching it.

It is an old villa, sitting on beautifully maintained grounds and with excellent views of the surrounding landscape to the rear of the property. The building is surrounded by plant-draped pergolas and twinkling lights that make it atmospheric after nightfall and it is hard to decide if it is lovelier at night or during the day.

As great pizza is a highlight of any trip to Italy, we thought it was only fitting to try and help you track down some of the best places to get pizza in Tuscany. Based on review sites, articles and recommendations, we have compiled a list of some excellent options but the only way to really know is to try them for yourself. So, just find a luxury villa in Tuscany and try out any of these places and let us know whether or not you feel that they live up to the hype!

7. Florence – Mercato Centrale

We have mentioned a couple of Florentine locations so far but this spot is something special. Unlike the other picks, it isn't a single, dedicated pizzeria but an indoor market place where you can find food vendors selling and cooking various kinds of food, all under one roof.

Continuing on from our previous posts, we have been tracking down some of the best-rated and most beloved pizza places in Tuscany. Of course, it isn't possible to try out every single restaurant, personally, or to definitively say that one restaurant is better than the rest, however, we have trawled across lots of different review websites to see what real people are saying. Just find a luxury villa in Tuscany, grab pizza at any of these spots and let us know if you agree with the positive reviews that we have seen.

5. Florence – Gusta Pizza

Another Florentine entry, this is the top-rated pizza place in the city according to Yelp. Located on Via Maggio, it is a buzzy, busy spot that is very popular with locals.