Imagine our excitement when we stopped in town to pick up some beer and wine for our fridge, and…read morestumbled into one of the highlights of our trip! We had been on the trek to Greve, and not purchased anything, nor had any great experiences. On the way back to our farmhouse (Antico Borgo San Lorenzo) we stopped in town to purchase some vino for our fridge. We walked in here, and were warmly greeted by Manuela. She insisted that we come sit at the rustic table, and try some wine with her. What an experience! Before we knew it, there were 5+ bottles open - plus olive oil, balsamics & bread. We were delighted as she guided us through local wines. It was a far better experience than we had found in Greve. After an hour we realized that locals were coming in & filling their own bottles with wine - something we had never seen. They have 2 reds, and 1 white on tap to "fill your own bottle" - for 1.5 euro a liter! You can purchase a bottle there, or fill your own. We immediately emptied all of our water bottles, and purchased straw covered chianti bottles to refill with house vino. The kids filled and corked bottles for the next 30 minutes. We left with: (3) 2 liter water bottles of their premium red, a giant chianti bottle of white, several bottles we enjoyed at their table, and the BEST balsamic we've ever tasted. But the biggest thing we left with was a smile. This place is the real deal, and worth a stop if you're in the Siena area. It's a fun little local find you'll want to treasure.

Delicious food, good wine and friendly service. Cozy little spot you might walk past but stop in!!!read more

We walked by this wine bar and store and decided to take a look inside. So much wine and liquor!…read moreIt's a cute store. We decided to take a break from walking and have a glass of wine. Wish we had more time to do their wine tasting. The man helping us with the wine was friendly and very nice. He was patient with us and helped us pick the wine to try. The two ladies at the entrance to the store weren't as friendly.

This was an off-the-beaten path/hidden gem that we stumbled upon when visiting Florence. My husband…read moreand I took the train in from the cruise port and ate an early breakfast on our ship. By the time we arrived and scoped out the Duomo, we were definitely ready for lunch. We were walking down the crowded cobblestone streets and decided that wanted a sandwich for lunch. We made a quick left turn and saw a line of people waiting. We weren't necessarily sure what they were waiting for until we inquired. Most people were waiting for sandwiches - SCORE! We decided to get in line and realized how quickly the line was moving. Traffic was being moved by their workers who were assisting with menu suggestions. We quickly got up to the front of the establishment and realized how tiny it is inside. It was so cool to see an actual Italian deli in action. From what I heard, they source their ingredients from local farmers, too! I ordered the La Rosa and my husband ordered the Gregorio (in honor of our friend Greg!). We waited outside for a few minutes while they prepared our order. The sandwiches were absolutely delicious and the bread was surprisingly crispy. The cost was super reasonable, too, for how much food you are getting. We will be back!

My husband and I joined the hype train and found I' Girone de' Ghiotti from a viral video of best…read moresandwiches in Florence. It was the first schiaccata spot we went to in Florence, and they set the bar really high. We arrived around 12pm on a Thursday. The line was out the door, but one of the employees managing the queue informed us that we were in a good spot. The line honestly moved quickly. We waited 15-20 minutes at most before placing our order. The restaurant has limited seating upstairs, but luckily we were able to snag a spot. I ordered one of their vegetarian specials, the 3 cheese blend with signature spicy sauce, and added turkey carpaccio. You can customize the sandwiches as you please. The sound of the crunch of the bread was the price of admission right there. The ingredients all tasted amazing, but the paper thin sliced turkey and spicy marinara really stood out to me the most. If I have to be really nitpicky, I did think that the bread doesn't have longevity. Could be that my sandwich was so saucy, which makes the bread soggy and gummy sooner than other other types.

From the owner: In the University zone of Bologna you'll find fine wines from all Italian Regions, including…read moreBarolo, Amarone and Brunello di Montalcino. Here you also can find French wines, sparkling wines including Franciacorta and Champagne, raisin wines, grappa and other spirits at a friendly price! Vini scelti da tutte le regioni d'Italia, vini francesi, bollicine, vini passiti, grappa e altri distillati al giusto prezzo! Consegne gratuite a Bologna e Casalecchio di Reno per importi superiori a 30 Euro.

This cafe in Siena is located on one of its twisty, inclined streets near Piazza del Duomo. There…read moreare three separate doorways; one seems to be for food, one for booze, and one for coffee and pastries. The coffee door is imprinted with "KAFA Forest Coffee". We were walking along and just wanted a coffee to sip as we sat and relaxed on their covered patio. It's a great place to people watch. I went inside and ordered 2 Americanos at the counter. The helpful barista understood my English perfectly and my cups of espresso were ready quickly to take out to the patio. The coffees were bold and strong; quite enjoyable. We sat for ten minutes or so until another customer sat at the table next to us and lit up a cigarette, smoke blowing in our faces (unintentionally). Smoking on a restaurant patio is fine in Italy. They also serve pastries, small sandwiches, and gelato.

Came to this spot to do a wine tasting however they couldn't take us the same day. We were just…read morelooking to try some wines of the area to make the right purchases. We ended up staying outside for drinks but the wine selection was limited. We liked the Rosso they had and got a bottle to drink there. We enjoyed ourselves sitting outside people watching and letting our feet rest.

This shop was exactly what we needed to make sure authentic and unique wines from Tuscany made it…read morehome to the United States with us! The wine tasting was thorough and included details about their origin as well as wine flavors. We had help picking out wines to send home for gifts as well as for ourselves. Our wine was delivered in exactly the time they estimated and was well packaged. We will definitely stop here again if in Florence and order again in the meantime.

We had the best time with the lovely and knowledgeable Laura at Enoteca Pontevecchio. We sampled…read moredelicious wines, including Sting's label, and the most amazing olive oils and balsamic vinegars. Easy to ship a case home. It is a special place to visit in Florence.