Need recommendations for meals/wineries in Italy- Rome/Florence/Tuscany

The Mrs and I enjoyed Il Matriciano and Osteria Nuvolari in Rome. You may need reservations. Both are on the Vatican side of the river.


In Florence take a look at Mercato Centrale. It is a huge food court that also has cooking classes. It's not too far from the train station.

Here is the link to a cooking class we took and really enjoyed. It was private and at the chef’s home. You get to create your menu. If you want, you can even have her bring you to the market to do the grocery shopping for your meal.

LINK

Enoteca Fortezza in Montalcino is a top notch wine bar in an old Tuscan Fortress.

One of the Ohio State guys can provide more details, I think he's a regular there

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Enoteca Fortezza in Montalcino

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Great place. If you like big, bold reds, the Brunellos there will be right up your alley. You know you are in a place that takes wine seriously when they put a wine bar inside the ancient town fort.

Montepulciano, about a half hour away, is another one of my favorite hill towns. The wineries that specialize in Vino Nobiles are out in the countryside, but they have sales and tasting facilities in town. They are near the top of the hill and have stairs leading down to the wine cellars which are in ancient tunnels carved into the hill.

Then there is the Chianti Classico enoteca in Greve which is fantastic.

Thanks everyone. Keep ‘em coming.

We did a trip in 2021 during Thanksgiving. You'll be happy you went during the off season with less crowds and it's also truffle season.

ROME
Our first night in we landed in Rome, and made our way to the hotel. Quickly after packing we crossed the Piazza della Rotonda ajacent to to fetch some salumi from Antica Salumeria. An unassumming meat and sandwich shop adjacent to the Pantheon. There was already a long line of people waiting so we got in line and after about 10 minutes, I decided to investigate. Most people were in line for porchetta sandwiches served from the front counter. The salumi counter was located in the back of the shop so we got out of line and made our way in. Pietro took care of us with a selection of meats, cheeses, and breads, and we made our way back acorss the piazza to the Hotel Albergo del Senato and took our salumi and a bottle of wine to the roof to watch the sun set.



Later that night we sought out La Vecchia Locanda for dinner. Unfotunaltey we did not plan accordingly and they were full up. The attendant offered for us to sit outside but, it was just a bit too cold. After walking around for half an hour and almost killing each other, we passed back by La Vecchia Locanda and were greeted at the door by an angry old man. Luckily, the server from earlier recognized me and after a brief discussion with many hand gestures and angry expressions between the server and old man, we were allowed inside and seated in the cellar. The midway through the meal, the server informed us that the building was built in the 15th centruy and the basement we were sitting in was an old wine cellar. The carbonara was the best of the trip.



The next morning we hopped a train to Florence.

FLORENCE
Il Pizzaiuolo - good pizza, lots of locals eating pizza with a fork and knife. There was a guy with a lampredotto cart near by so I had to order a sandwich.



If you're into truffles, Osteria Pastella has one of those pasta dishses that is made in half a cheese wheel, table side that is a fun experience. They then top it with shaved truffles. By far the best pasta course we had in Italy.




We did have a traditional Fiorintine steak at Trattoria Giovanni that was ridiculously tender.



We then headed back to Rome.

ROME
Memorable places were Piccolo Buco - a couple blocks away from the Trevi Fountain. Good pizza (not as good as Il Pizzaiuolo for me) but it had a line down the alley.

Piccolo Arancio this is a down the alley across from Piccolo Buco. We ended up here instead of waiting the first time we tried to eat at Buco. One of the better meals we had. They had a crudo of scicilan red shrimp and wild red shrimp that was one of the best things we ate all trip.



VATICAN CITY
If you go to the Vatican there's an indoor market a few blocks outside the north exit. Cross the street and head down the stairs to Via Tunisi and unto Mercato Trionfale for endless stalls of cheese, salumi, produce, and pasta. The seafood counter in the back is the highlight. Grab a bottle of Vermentino, a few oysters, some insalata di polpo and go to town.

We then went on to Naples and Salerno. Let me know if you want recommendations for the Amalfi Coast.

Note: Before our trip, someone told me to avoid places that are in view of famous attractions such as the Colliseum and the Duomo because they are tourist traps. Not sure how true that is but I didn't care to find out.

We did a food tour of the Trastevere area in Rome. Would highly recommend. It was probably the best food we had in Rome.

Thanks - I’ll definitely look into these.

We just did the same trip earlier this summer and here are a few of my favorites.

Rome - La Montecarlo Pizzeria (lunch), dinner at Lagana (may need a reservation), la taverna (also may need a reservation). We did a scooter tour through Rome that was awesome and I highly suggest it as it is a great way to see stuff in a small amount of time. You ride on the back and the driver tells you the history of Rome. I would skip the Vatican if that isn’t high on your list that place is a nightmare with people.

Florence - i enjoyed the walking food and wine tours, there are multiple companies so you should have no problem finding one. I was surprised that you could really stop at any little place along the streets and get a great meal.

Tuscany - this place is beautiful! We enjoyed the brunello of montalcino area. We visited a few other wineries in the area that were great. Seems it is hard to go wrong with choosing one. The town of Lucca was pretty cool and has a bike path along the top of the castle wall that kids might enjoy.

And can’t forget the gelato!