ITALY - Best of Europe 2014 - page 1212

Ristorante del Fagioli is an enthusiastically run eatery where you feel the heritage. The
dad, Gigi, commands the kitchen while family members Antonio, Maurizio, and Simone
keep the throngs of loyal customers returning. The cuisine: home-style bread-soups, hearty
steaks, and Florentine classics. Don't worry—while fagioli means “beans,” that's the family
name, not the extent of the menu (€9 pastas, €9 secondi, cash only, Mon-Fri 12:30-14:30 &
19:30-24:00, closed Sat-Sun, reserve for dinner, between Santa Croce Church and the Alle
Grazie bridge at Corso dei Tintori 47, tel. [phone]).
Boccadama Enoteca Ristorante is a stylish, shabby-chic wine bistro serving an easy-
to-navigatemenuofcapablyexecutedtraditionalTuscanfarebasedonseasonalproduce.Eat
in the intimate dining room with candles reflecting off bottle-lined walls or at one of the few
tables onthedramatic Piazza Santa Croce. Asthisplace ispopularwithgroups,reservations
are smart (€8-9 primi, €12-16 secondi, daily 11:00-16:00 & 18:30-24:00, on south side of
Piazza Santa Croce at 25-26 red, tel. [phone], Marco).
Trattoria Anita, midway between the Uffizi and Santa Croce, feels old-school, with
woodpanelingandrowsofwinebottles.BrothersNicola,Gianni,andMaurizioofferagood
lunch special: three hearty Tuscan courses for €9 on weekdays (€7-8 pastas, €7-12 secondi,
Mon-Sat 12:00-14:30 & 19:00-22:15, closed Sun, on the corner of Via Vinegia and Via del
Parlagio at #2 red, tel. [phone]).
Trattoria I'cche C'è C'è (EE-kay chay chay; dialect for “whatever there is, there is”)
is a small, family-style restaurant where fun-loving Gino and his wife Mara serve func-
tional local food, including a €13 three-course, fixed-price meal. While filled with tourists,
the place has a charming mom-and-pop warmth (€7-12 pastas, €12-18 secondi, Tue-Sun
12:30-14:30 & 19:30-22:30, closed Mon and two weeks in Aug, midway between Bargello
and river at Via Magalotti 11 red, tel. [phone]).
South of the River, in the Oltrarno
Ingeneral,diningintheOltrarnooffersamoreauthenticexperience;althoughit'squiteclose
to the old center, tourists imagine that it's another world and tend to stay away. At many
of these places, Florentines may even outnumber my readers. For locations, see the map on
here .
Dining with a Ponte Vecchio View
(See “Oltrarno Hotels & Restaurants” map, here . )
Golden View Open Bar is a lively, trendy bistro, good for a romantic meal or just a salad,
pizza,orpastawithfinewineandafineviewofPonteVecchioandtheArnoRiver.Itswhite,
minimalist interior is a stark contrast to atmospheric old Florence. Reservations for window
tablesareessentialunlessyoudropinearlyfordinner(€10pizzas,€11-15pastas,big€11-14
salads, €20-30 secondi, daily 11:30-24:00, impressive wine bar, 50 yards east of Ponte Vec-