Florence restaurant for lunch
 

We are a group of 7 (4 adults, 3 kids aged 11 to 16) who will be spending the day in Florence in July as one of our cruise stops. We have reservations at the Uffizi at 10 a.m. and the Accademia at 1:45 p.m. We plan to spend 2 hours at the Uffizi, and were wondering where we could have a good and quick lunch (about 1 hour or so allotted for lunch) between the Uffizi and the Accademia. We prefer to go to a place where we can sit down and be able to order more than just sandwiches. This is our first time to Italy, and maybe allowing just a little over an hour for lunch in a restaurant may be not be doable. Thank you for your help.

It really is not a far walk between these two museums and much of central Florence lies here. What kind of budget do you have for lunch?

We were looking at around 15 euros per person.

Not sure if it's still there, but I'd take a guess that it still is. Do a google search. Antico Noe is a great sandwich place I used to eat at when I was going to school in Florence. Everything is prepared to order, no glass cases with old sandwiches. I believe it's on Via de San Piero, #6. Don't be put off by the winos outside. It's in this wierd little alleyway. It's great. Alot of students living in Italy eat there for lunch.

There is a nice little restaurant on the Piazza della Signoria called Il Bargello where we had a relatively quick sit down lunch a few times that we enjoyed. It's very nice to sit outside if you can get a table and the weather is good.

Walking from the Uffizi into the Piazza (towards the Accademia), it's to the left, near Rivoire. Or you could skip lunch althought and just go for the Panna Cotta at Rivoire. One of the best desserts we had in Italy.

1. Del Fagioli is located at corso Tintori 47R, a short distance North of the Uffizi and South of Santa Croce, telephone 055 244285. It is Michelin rated as a "Bib Gourmand" which means good meals at moderate prices. The good thing about this place (especially with the kids) is that you can see much of the food before you order it because the trays of baked items are laid out at the front.

2. Osteria de Benci is located at via de Benci 13R, same general location, telephone 055 2344923. Less expensive, as I recall.

Thank you so much for all the suggestions. We'll check them out and let you know where we eventually have lunch!

If you don't mind something good, fast but cheap, perhaps you could try "Nerbone" at the first floor of Mercato Centrale (Central Market), it is only few blocks from Accademia. The place has been around for more than hundred years, catering mostly to locals. They offer hot roasted meat and sausages for sandwiches, hot dishes such as pasta, stew, vergetables and potatos, similar to cafeteria but all freshly made and very good. Across the booth, there are several long tables for sitting, it could get very crowded around 1 o'clock.

I took my parents there for lunch (I have eaten few times before)in fall 2004(we were off from QM2), costed less than 20 Euro, they really enjoyed it.

Besides, the area around central market is quite interesting to walk around. If you have time, don't miss the nearby Cappelle Medicee.

ttt

Hi,

I'm interested in this question as well. Any other recommendations for a good, but fast place for lunch in the area between the Uffizi and the Accademia?

Some place where hot lunches (pasta or meat dishes) are available would be great!

Thank you.

Carole

Osteria dell Agnolo is on Borgo San Lorenzo between the Duomo and the Church of San Lorenzo. Great meals at a decent price, and their wine selection is wonderful.

Hi Statia,

Is Osteria dell Agnolo a good choice with limited time... or do they serve course after course?

Thanks.

Carole

Carole, from what I recall you can just order what you want. They have pizza, as well as various pasta dishes and other items. You don't have to order multiple courses so I think it would be fine for a quick lunch.

bookmarking

ttt

Not to put a damper on your plans, but if you have only one day in Florence in July, planning on both the Uffizi and the Accademia in one day, with that kind of tight time frame AND planning a sit-down lunch in July, all with three kids in tow, is setting yourself up for stress-filled, break-neck paced stampede through one of Italy's most beautiful cities.

It will be very busy in Florence in July. The streets are narrow and will be packed. Although it is a short distance, relatively, spending two hours at the Uffizi, and travelling over to the Accademia for 1:45 with a sit-down lunch in-between will be very difficult. 10:00 a.m. tickets do not mean you will be leisurely viewing art at 10:05. There are line-ups to get in, even with tickets, you have to go through security. The gallery is huge and spread out. Exiting and navigating the crowds will take time so your actual time in the Uffizi will leave you with limited abilities to enjoy the art you came to see. You will be leaving around noon when the reastaurants will be filling up. In my humble opinion thats why I'm not certain you will have time for 7 people to move around and sit down and enjoy a meal and make it to the Accademia.

The Uffizi is certainly a good choice. I would check out the guide books and info on line to pick which galleries you and the kids want to see (the Botticheli's are a must and merit some time), so you can plan what you want to see. It wil be impossible for you to see all the highlights in that time frame, so picking your priorities and which rooms you wish to visit in advance will help. A bit of time will be spent in the hall with views overlooking the Arno and the bridges.

After that, there is so much to see outside, on the streets of Florence, I think you would be better off planning a mini-walking tour of the streets with your group. Check any number of guide books or online for suggested routes. The reproduction of the David in the Piazza outside the Uffizi is certainly not a substitute for the real thing at the Accademia, but its there. You could walk down to the Duomo, the Baptistry, and Campanile. Although the interior of the Duomo is huge, a visit inside would not take long and it is one of the wonders of Italy. It would be easier fitting this in than pre-planned time tickets at the Accademia. You could then walk over to the Mercato Centrale, which is a short walk from the Duomo, and have a nice relaxing lunch at Nerbone as JudyC suggests. Trattoria Mario is also right across the little square behind the Martket and was our favourite lunch place during our 8 days in Florence. It is a very small, crowed trattoria, popular with locals, with excellent pasta, meats, soups and in-season italian food. The menu is posted on the wall. It would be well within your budget you mention. However, it is very crowded, and if you have not arrived by noon you often won't get a table without a wait. They have a good website for info. ( http://trattoria-mario.com/index_english.html ) The market is also a great place to pick up olive oils, excellent sun dried tomatoes, porcini mushrooms and balsamic vinegars - there are dozens of small stalls.

Once you finished lunch, without rushing, you could then walk down to the Ponte Vecchio and circle down to the next bridge for views of the Ponte Vecchio. There are dozens of street performers to enjoy - the live statues are an attraction that the kids may like. Which church to see is difficult because there are so many of them, but walking to Santa Croce and the piazza is an option. Your post doesn't say when you are leaving that day, but my point is that there are so many amazing things to see outside in Florence, if you want to enjoy lunch, and see something of Florence in only one day, a short walking tour would better serve you than a visit to the Accademe.

If you have your hearts set on seeing the David (and it really is worth a visit - don't get me wrong - it is magnificent) I would suggest you simply plan to leave the Uffizi, head down Via Dei Calzaiuoli to the Duomo (on the way to the Accademia) and grab something quick from one of the many small cafes, stalls, or gelato places on the way. Alternatively take a side trip to the Mercato Centrale and eat there as suggested - which would be quicker. You will however have to "hoof it" near the lunch hour to get a seat. Something from one of the vendors would be great. The "street food" of Florence can be quite good - especially at the market. From there it is a short walk to the Accademia

Florence is an amazing city. Have fun whatever you decide to do.

Dave

Okay - within seconds of posting this I noticed WHEN the original post went in. LOL! By now Nenna's group are long gone from the streets of Florence!!! Hope all went well. Perhaps the info will be helpful to someone else asking for similar info with a trip planned in the future (and not one that already has come and gone). If Nena reads this - so how DID things go?

I guess I've been away from the boards for so long, I should be paying closer attention to dates and bookmarking on older posts. We're planning another trip to Italy this May. I love the Fodors boards for info on trip planning.

D.