ITALY - Best of Europe 2014 - page 1208

line, put your name on the list (€5-6 pastas, €8 secondi, cash only, Mon-Sat 12:00-15:30,
closed Sun and Aug, no reservations, Via Rosina 2, tel. [phone]).
Casa del Vino, Florence's oldest operating wine shop, offers glasses of wine from
among 25 open bottles (see the list tacked to the bar). Owner Gianni, whose family has
owned the Casa for more than 70 years, is a class act. Gianni's carta dei panini lists delight-
ful €3.50 sandwiches and €1 crostini; the I Nostri Panini (classic sandwiches) richly reward
adventurous eaters. During busy times, it's a mob scene. You'll eat standing outside along-
side workers on a quick lunch break (Mon-Fri 9:30-20:00 year-round, Sat 9:30-17:00 June-
Sept only, closed Sun year-round and Sat off-season, hidden behind stalls of San Lorenzo
Market at Via dell'Ariento 16 red, tel. [phone]).
Near the Accademia
(See “Florence Restaurants” map, here . )
Budget-Lunch Places Surrounding the Accademia
For pizza by the slice, try Pugi, at Piazza San Marco 10. For a break from pasta and pizza,
grab a quick kebab lunch from Barbecue: The Taste of Istanbul (Via Cavour 41).
Pasticceria Robiglio, a smart little café, opens up its stately dining area and sets out a
fewtablesonthesidewalkforlunch.Theyhaveasmallmenuofdailypastaand secondi spe-
cials, and seem determined to do things like they did in the elegant, pre-tourism days (gen-
erous €9-10 plates, a great €8 niçoise -like “fantasy salad,” pretty pastries, smiling service,
daily 12:00-15:00, longer hours as a café, a block toward the Duomo off Piazza S.S. An-
nunziata at Via dei Servi 112 red, tel. [phone]). Before you leave, be tempted by their
pastries—famous among Florentines.
LaMescitaFiaschetteria isacharacteristichole-in-the-walljustaroundthecornerfrom
David —but a world away from all the tourism. It's where locals and students enjoy daily
pasta specials and hearty sandwiches with good €1.50 house wine. You can trust Mirco and
Alessio (as far as you can throw them)—just point to what looks good (such as their €5-6
pasta plate or €6-7 secondi ), and you'll soon be eating well and inexpensively. The place
can either be mobbed by students or in a peaceful time warp, depending on when you stop
by (Mon-Sat 10:45-16:00, closed Sun, Via degli Alfani 70 red, mobile [phone] or
338-992-2640).
Picnic on the Ultimate Renaissance Square: Il Centro Supermercati, a handy super-
marketahalf-blocknorthoftheAccademia,hasacurbsidesandwichbar(Panineria)withan
easy English menu that includes salads to go (Mon-Sat 9:00-19:30, Sun 10:00-19:00, sand-
wich bar may close earlier, Via Ricasoli 109). With your picnic in hand, hike around the
block and join the bums on Piazza S.S. Annunziata, the first Renaissance square in Florence
(don't confuse this with the less-interesting Piazza San Marco, closer to the supermarket).