Restaurants

Florence is thick with restaurants, though many in the most touristy areas (around the Duomo and Piazza della Signoria) are of low quality, charge high prices, or both. I'll point out the few that aren't. The highest concentrations of excellent ristoranti and trattorie are around Santa Croce and across the river in the Oltrarno. Bear in mind that menus at restaurants in Tuscany can change frequently: weekly, or even daily. Note, too, that for the restaurants listed here, reservations are not required unless otherwise indicated.

A Big Step Above Ice Cream: Florentine Gelato

Gelato is a Florentine institution -- a creamy, sweet, flavorful food item on a different level entirely from what Americans call "ice cream." Making fine Florentine gelato is a craft taken seriously by all except the tourist-pandering spots around major attractions that serve air-fluffed bland "vanilla" and nuclear-waste pistachio so artificially green it glows.

Of all the centrally located gelaterie, Festival del Gelato, Via del Corso 75r, just off Via dei Calzaiuoli (tel. 055-239-4386), is one of the few serious contenders to the premier Vivoli, offering about 50 flavors along with pounding pop music and colorful neon. It's open Tuesday through Sunday, in summer 8am to 1am and in winter 11am to 1am.

Vivoli, Via Isole delle Stinche 7r, a block west of Piazza Santa Croce (tel. 055-239-2334), is still the city's institution. Exactly how renowned is this bright gelateria? Taped to the wall is a postcard bearing only "Vivoli, Europa" for the address, yet it was successfully delivered to this world capital of ice cream. It's open Tuesday through Sunday 9am to 1am (closed Aug and Jan to early Feb).

One of the major advantages of the always crowded Gelateria delle Carrozze, Piazza del Pesce 3-5r (tel. 055-239-6810), is its location at the foot of the Ponte Vecchio. In summer, it's open daily 11am to 1am; in winter, hours are Thursday through Tuesday 11am to 8pm.

A block south of the Accademia (pick up a cone after you've gazed upon David's glory) is what some local purists insist is Vivoli's only deserving contender to the throne as gelato king: Carabé, Via Ricasoli 60r (tel. 055-289-476). It offers genuine homemade Sicilian gelato in the heart of Florence, with ingredients shipped in from Sicily by the hardworking Sicilian owners. May 16 through September, it's open daily 10am to midnight; February 15 through May 15 and October through November 15, hours are Tuesday through Sunday 10am to 8pm.

In 1946, the first ice-cream parlor in the city's heart, Perchè No!, Via dei Tavolini 19r, off Via del Calzaiuoli (tel. 055-239-8969; www.percheno.firenze.it; bus: 14, 23, or 71), introduced a novelty: the glass display case filled with tubs of flavors that have become standard in ice-cream stores the world over. Try their cioccolato bianco (white chocolate studded with chunks of the main ingredient) or one of the semifreddi, a moussing process they helped invent. It's open Wednesday through Monday from 10am to midnight.

Cook Like a True Tuscan

Take a walk down Via dei Velluti in the Oltrarno, peek into the furniture restoration studios, watch the artisans practicing their ancient craft, and soon you'll stumble upon another studio devoted to a time-honored art: cooking. For 63€ per person, for example, "In Tavola," Via dei Velluti 18/20r (tel. 055-217-672; www.intavola.org), will get you started on your culinary quest by showing you how to prepare such staples as crostini, zuppa di faro, and cantucci, while you work your way through a complimentary bottle of chianti.

In Tavola has taken to the city what agriturismi have been doing for a few years now in the countryside, especially in Chianti. Another good beginner's course is offered by the Villa Rosa di Boscorotondo, Via S. Leonino 59, Panzano Greve in Chianti (tel. 055-852-577; www.resortvillarosa.it), near Radda-in-Chianti. For 90€ per person, Vincenzo Regoli shows you the ins and outs of bruschetta, panzanella, spezzatino del Chianti, and tiramisù.

At the high end of the spectrum are programs offered by Villa San Michele, Via Doccia 4, Fiesole (tel. 055-567-8200; www.villasanmichele.com). These are weeklong seminars with famous chefs, incorporated in a package deal with the luxury villa: a 5-night stay and cooking class runs about 3,200€ per person.

For a full-immersion course in a place that raises its own meat and vegetables, check out La Petraia, 53017 Radda-in-Chianti (tel. 0577-738-582; www.lapetraia.com), where award-winning chef Susan McKenna Grant will help you make an elegant Tuscan dish with whatever vegetables and herbs are in season. The price is 225€ for a cooking and foraging class that includes a multi-course lunch, an apron, and a copy of her book. The "Petraia Sessions" are internships with a famous international chef that amount to 5 days of education, fine dining, beautiful accommodations, and the top Tuscan wines.

Most farm resorts and luxury hotels throughout Tuscany and Umbria are affiliated with some sort of cooking class these days -- be sure to inquire at the front desk.

Panem et Cultura

Fabio Picchi was always something of a virtuoso in his restaurant, Cibrèo, where the kitchen was virtually his stage. So it came as little surprise when he actually did open a stage, just across Via de' Macci at the Teatro del Sale (tel. 055-200-1492; www.teatrodelsale.com), where one virtuoso on stage accompanies another in his glassed-in kitchen. It is a members-only dinner club (membership costs just 5€) where the 25€ price of admission includes not only a dinner buffet of endless inventive Tuscan specialties but also a performance by an artist, often a jazz performer or dancer with the same disdain for rules and normalcy that pervades Picchi's persona. Under the guidance of artistic director Maria Cassi, Picchi's wife and a theatrical talent in Italy, the Teatro del Sale aims to bring contemporary culture to a city most often associated with the past. Each evening begins with Picchi leaning out the kitchen window and bellowing out the name of each of the dozen courses he has expertly prepared, and an eager public arrives at the serving table.