265651 Mon Mar 14 12:32:12 -0800 2005 10 26 International 0 1402006 My husband and I are headed to Florence and Venice next week. We are very interested in eating well but just found out that he may not have his job for too much longer (so we don't want to go crazy with spending). Any recommendations on good but not too expensive options? Mon Mar 14 12:32:12 -0800 2005 0 Chris 1 1402010 Be sure to do a thorough search (on the home page) of the prior posts on this board for both cities. You will find many, many helpful recommendations already here for you. There were several posts on Florence within the past few weeks. If you scroll down you will find them. Mon Mar 14 12:55:52 -0800 2005 1402006 0 DavidT 2 1402036 In Florence, eat lunch at the Central Market. Nerbone, in particular, is fabulous. The bolliti (boiled beef sandwiches) are beyond wonderful. I once took a one-day side trip to Florence just to eat them. It's hard to spend more that 10E for two, including a half-carafe of bracing red wine. ' For supper, I love Enzo e Piero, though some might think it's not "authentic" enough. The food is really good and really cheap. There's a place across the river, I think it's called Leone Bianco, that offers very good food at a very reasonable price. Good luck! Tue Mar 15 00:53:56 -0800 2005 1402010 0 Liz 1 1402026 I was in Florence this afternoon. Got off the train to wander a bit when I was supposed to be passing through, and ended up having a better experience than when I was in Florence to specifically go to the Uffizi Gallery, see David, the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, etc. I decided to walk to see the Synagogue and its museum (closes at 3pm, if you're interested in Byzantine-style frescoes). I walked east of the Duomo, then north west, then south, ending back at the Duomo. What amazed me was how quickly the tourists fell away just a few blocks out of the centre of town. I found myself in residential, quiet areas, full of locals and cafes and pasticcerie. I ended up going into every pasticcerie (pastry shop) and panetteria (bakery) I saw, and buying a bit of this and a bit of that - nutella filled butter biscuits, chocolate-dipped twists of pastry, a bit of olive and artichoke focaccia, a marvellously fresh tomato and mozzarella calzonino (this from a pizza al taglio shop on a crossroad near via della colonna and Pinti Borgo) and sugar-dusted, fried, battered apple slices. All the other times I've been in Florence, in the centre of town, I've forced myself to buy an overpriced, dry sandwich or some congealed, ancient pasta in whatever cafe I could find. If you want to save some money, eat better food, and habve a pleasant experience, I suggest you take time out from sight-seeing, and wander off the beaten track. This is good advice for all of Italy, in fact: if you want to save money, don't buy a sandwich, which in many cafes will cost you E2.50-E4, and has been sitting behind the counter for four hours. Go into a pastry shop or bakery, and buy a slice or two of pizza, or veg- and sausage-covered focaccia or flatbread. It's done by weight, and you can usually get three good-sized pieces of different types for E2.50. It's fresher, and tastes better! But above all, PLEASE spend time outside Venice and Florence. The former is one-of-a-kind, and the latter has superb art, but neither is real Italy. Mon Mar 14 17:08:03 -0800 2005 1402006 0 kate 2 1402030 In Venice, you can experience the same melting away of the tourist scene by walking 10-15 minutes in almost any direction from Piazza San Marco (other than around the train station and the Rialto Bridge). There are a surprising number of local neighborhoods (each with their own 'campo') in Venice that offer a much different vibe (and better food) than you find in and around San Marco. Mon Mar 14 17:50:51 -0800 2005 1402026 0 DavidT 2 1402046 I have to say that I agree with you. I have never responded to any posts looking for places to eat in Florence simply because I don't even know the names of most of the places or how to describe their location. I find them the same way you did, by making a point to walk down streets that don't have any tourists or tourist attractions. Mid-day I watch to see where the local shopkeepers are heading for pranzo and follow them in. Typically, such places will be inexpensive, and the menus are posted outside at any rate, so you can tell. If it's full that day, make a reservation for the following day or that evening. One recommendation that frequently pops up here for inexpensive food and with which I agree is Nerbone's in the market for a beef sandwich and porchetta carts for a pork panino. I don't frequent the tripe stands, prefering to have it in a trattoria as part of a longer meal. Tue Mar 15 09:22:07 -0800 2005 1402026 0 bacchante 1 1402027 Scroll down to my post of 12/19/2004 on Florence Restaurants. I provided locations, what we ate, and prices. I think 11 restaurants in Florence are covered and none of them are expensive. Mon Mar 14 17:10:41 -0800 2005 1402006 0 CJ 1 1402055 Here our fave inexpensive non-touristic oriented restaurants from our last trip to Florence - admittedly 5 yrs ago, but these kind of places tend not to change and Mario is in the 2005 slowfood guide - (1) Tratt. Mario via Rosina 2r - casual and cheap lots of fun, extremely solid tuscan food; the ragu on my daughters pasta was the best of our 3-week trip; ribollita and baccala were fine and the tuscan steak (served with frites) at adjoining tables looked terrific. (2) Ristorante del Fagioli, corso dei tintori 47r toward the river from Santa Croce. Another very pleasant, solid, friendly Tuscan choice, the pappa pomodoro was excellent, meats excellent, pinzimonio etc. Tue Mar 15 11:23:07 -0800 2005 1402006 0 jen kalb 1 1402063 I travel with my family to Florence every year for the week of Thanksgiving. We have been there six out of the last seven years and I lived in Itlay during college. I say all of this to give perspective to the meal I am recommending. I ate last November at "Garga". His retaurant is not to far from the bridge off Pizza Republica. The owner/chef is Mr. Garga. He is an artist with a brush as well as an artist with a spatula. Try the Donna Karan which was named for the very good friend of the chef's favorite meal. The fish was exceptional, the salads were fresh and prepared with intriguing style. My highest recomendation to Garga. Due to the expense I would skip CIBREO. I always enjoy Cibreo, but it is not for the light in the wallet. Even better recomendation is drive to the countryside and eat some of the finest meals on the planet inexpensively. Tue Mar 15 14:30:04 -0800 2005 1402006 0 bmohen 2 1402087 ReallY I htough Garga was really overrated, and NOT cheap! Tue Mar 15 20:50:52 -0800 2005 1402063 0 Liz 1 1402143 For a casual, inexpensive lunch or dinner in Venice try Birraria Antica La Corte, located on the far end of Campo San Polo -- the opposite side of the square where people walk going from Accademia to Rialto. It's a casual beer, pizza and pasta restaurant full of Italian families and groups of young people, very few tourists. Individual pizzas and pastas run 6-10 euros, and according to the Venetian friend who recommended it, they have the best pizza in Venice. For a light lunch I always go to Cantina do Mori - a standing only wine bar with delicious cicchetti (like Italian tapas) and local Veneto wines by the glass. It's been around since the 1500s and is located on Calle do Mori, near the Rialto market. Wines 1.50-4.50 euros/glass and cicchetti 1-3 euros each. Thu Mar 17 04:10:50 -0800 2005 1402006 0 AgnesGooch