ITALY - Best of Europe 2014 - page 1211

Osteria Vini e Vecchi Sapori, half a block north of the Palazzo Vecchio, is a colorful
16-seat hole-in-the-wall restaurant serving Tuscan food with a fun, accessible menu of deli-
cious €7-9 pastas and €9-10 secondi (Tue-Sat 12:30-15:00 & 19:30-22:00, Sun 12:30-15:00,
closed Mon, reserve for dinner; facing the bronze equestrian statue in Piazza della Signoria,
go behind its tail into the corner and to your left; Via dei Magazzini 3 red, tel. [phone],
run by Mario while wife Rosanna cooks and son Thomas serves).
I Fratellini is an informal eatery where the “little brothers” have served peasants 29 dif-
ferent kinds of sandwiches and cheap glasses of Chianti wine (see list on wall) since 1875.
Join the local crowd to order, then sit on a nearby curb or windowsill to eat, placing your
glass on the wall rack before you leave (€2.50 sandwiches, daily 9:00-20:00 or until the
bread runs out, closed Sun in winter, 20 yards in front of Orsanmichele Church on Via dei
Cimatori, tel. [phone]). Be adventurous with the menu (easy-order by number). Con-
sider finocchiona (#15, a special Tuscan salami), lardo di Colonnata (#22, lard aged in Car-
rara marble), and cinghiale (#19, spicy wild boar) sandwiches. Order the most expensive
wine they're selling by the glass (Brunello for €5; bottles are labeled).
Cheap Takeout on Via Dante Alighieri: Three handy places line up on this street, just a
couple of blocks from the Duomo. L'Antico Trippaio, an antique tripe stand, is a fixture in
thetowncenter.Cheapandauthenticascanbe,thisiswherelocalscomedailyfor€4-6sand-
wiches (panini), featuring specialties like trippa alla fiorentina (tripe), lampredotto (cow's
stomach), and a list of more appetizing options. Roberto and Maurizio offer a free plastic
glass of rotgut Chianti with each sandwich for travelers with this topic (daily 9:00-20:00, on
Via Dante Alighieri, mobile [phone]). If tripe isn't your cup of offal, Pizzeria Totò,
just next to the tripe stand, has very good €2.50-3 slices (Via Dante Alighieri 28 red, tel.
055-290-406).Andafewstepsintheoppositedirectionisa Metàsupermarket ,withcheap
drinks and snacks and a fine antipasti case inside (daily 8:30-21:30, Sun from 9:00, Via
Dante Alighieri 20-24). If you pick up lunch at any of these, the best people-watching place
to enjoy your sandwich is three blocks away, on Piazza della Signoria.
Wine Bar near Ponte Vecchio
(See “Florence Restaurants” map, here . )
'Ino Bottega di Alimentari e Vini is a mod little shop filled with gifty edibles. Alessandro
and his staff serve sandwiches and wine—you'll get your €5-8 sandwich on a napkin with
an included glass of their wine of the day as you perch on a tiny stool. They can also make
a fine €12 piatto misto of cheeses and meats with bread (daily 11:00-16:30, immediately be-
hind Uffizi Gallery on Ponte Vecchio side, Via dei Georgofili 3 red, tel. [phone]).
Between the Palazzo Vecchio and Santa Croce Church
(See “Florence Restaurants” map, here . )