579194 Thu Dec 11 02:12:13 -0800 2008 13 58 Italy 0 4237956 Hello the Italian Board! You are so generously helpful to everyone, so I hoped you might give me some tips. My husband and I will be visiting Florence on Fri the 30th of Jan till Sun the 1st of Feb. So far we only booked our flights. Could you recommend any b&b to stay. Nothing fancy, as long as the owner is nice and it is centrally located. And of course if you could tip me on good restaurants! We only have two dinners. Do you know a place with especially beautiful/unusual interior/views? And (of course:) I also would like to go somewhere simple and cheerful. Question number three. Are the queues for Uffizi really severe in this time period too? Is it worth buying those tickets for 20 EUR in advance? An the last question! I really want to get a guide to take us around Uffizi. But I looked on the internet and they are too expensive for us. Could anyone recommend me a person who can take us around Uffizi for not that much? (1,5 tour for 50 EUR) Every recommendation will be very highly appreciated! Thank you all very much in advance! Thu Dec 11 02:12:13 -0800 2008 243904 marusia 1 4238797 You should mention how much you want to spend for the dinners and B&B.. Thu Dec 11 09:27:15 -0800 2008 4237956 12618 erica 1 4239133 Sorry. For the b&b, I would like to pay between 60-80. For the dinners 50-70 per person. Thu Dec 11 11:06:11 -0800 2008 4237956 243904 marusia 2 4239260 You can certainly eat well for less than 100-140 euro for two persons. I had trouble even spending 100 for two with house wine. I would recommend searching here, as there are many reports about eating in Florence. Two that I have liked in the past have been Cambi and Alla Vecchia Bettola, both on the south side of the Arno. Here are some notes from one of my visits: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/267548 I cannot help on the B&B at that price point.. I would not book in advance for the Uffizi in January. Thu Dec 11 11:49:01 -0800 2008 4239133 12618 erica 3 4239699 Thank you Erica! Thu Dec 11 13:47:18 -0800 2008 4239260 243904 marusia 1 4247352 If you like old buildings and good causes, check out the Casa Nome di Gesu, a convent on the piazza Santa Maria del Carmine...around 70 euros a night, though you can go cheaper if you don't mind a shared bath. Run by the franciscan missionaries of Mary, so you're supporting an order that does good work around the world. Rooms were clean, spacious, though breakfast was basic but passable (fresh french coffee, fruit, pastries, juices, etc). In the same neighborhood, we enjoyed Guscio, just a short walk away. http://www.il-guscio.it/ And Cibreo trattoria serves food similar to the ristorante for a fraction of the price... Mon Dec 15 04:10:50 -0800 2008 4237956 12023 Hungry Celeste 1 4247798 We just came back from a week in Tuscany. Casa Rabatti is on Via Zanobi, and about a 2 minute stroll from the Mercato Centrale. Her email is casarabatti@inwind.it. I loved drinking my morning cappuchino with the butchers and greengrocers in the morning. Marcella has 4 rooms and she is an absolute doll! No view to speak of, but it's clean, cheap and friendly. (We paid 50/night to share a bathroom. She also has rooms en suite if that's important to you) November, January and February are the low seasons. We just ambled into everything we wanted to and had elbow room to spare. The Uffizi was definitely not empty, but the crowds were manageable and not overwhelming. Glad I wasn't there in the summer though! We also enjoyed our cooking class at In Tavola (intavola.org). We learned to make gnocchi among other things. If you look at their website before you sign up, you can see what the scheduled menu is. It wasn't incredibly advanced, but I still learned a lot of snippets. It's taught in English or Italian. Compared to other courses I looked at, it's also pretty cheap. Mon Dec 15 08:42:35 -0800 2008 4237956 59951 thinks too much 2 4263224 My girlfriend and I have been to Florence numerous times and each time we have to stop at the Golden View Open Bar (just on the other side of the Ponte Vecchio) for formaggi e vini (http://www.goldenviewopenbar.com/). It's right on the Arno and we've found it to be quite easy to get a seat at the window. We have not had anything filling here (other than the ribollita and salads which were amazing) as we use this as a break in the day. Great wines to choose from and the cheese plates with la mostarda; sono favolosi! So walk across the Ponte Vecchio and take a left and you'll have a very relaxing time sipping some wine and eating some delicious cheese with mostarda (not mustard!) - this is a great way to try quite a few local cheeses without getting too full to eat a wonderful dinner later on in the evening - which I would recommend I'toscano on via guelfa. We've been here every year running and the kitchen actually prepares us our favorite dish each time (we let them know we are coming!). They have some offerings that are not common which is why we love it here. English is spotty here, but that just means the food will taste that much better. Don't worry though, they do have an English menu available - never, ever, had a bad meal here. check out their website: http://www.itoscano.it/main_e.htm Sat Dec 20 23:01:28 -0800 2008 4247798 250198 obraustin 3 4269136 So what is your favorite dish? Tue Dec 23 10:54:13 -0800 2008 4263224 59951 thinks too much 1 4270811 – Try "Pensione Boboli" on Via Romana for your B&B, or "Pensione Santo Spirito". – You're not likely to find a well-priced (and official) guide for gli Uffizi. The whole business is a strictly controlled cartel. If you do find one, I doubt you'll be satisfied. – Food. "Camillo" on Borgo San Jacopo is on another planet. Expect to pay €50 each though. For us Florentines, it's pricey but everything on the menu is of earth-shattering quality (Massimo and Chiara, the owners, are spectacularly meticulous about quality). I'd also strongly recommend "da Ruggero" on via Sense, a third of the way up the hill from Porta Romana. You must absoloutly have their "Arista" (roast pork loin, a florentine fave). Cost €30 each. Alternatively, "Il Cibreo" by the Sant'Ambrogio market is known the world over. It's a pricey affair for dinner. But the Saturday lunchtime prices in the Trattoria Cibreo are fair. It's another deeply moving experience to eat there. If they have it, order the stuffed chicken neck with home made mayo. Next, you must imperatively try un Panino al Lampredotto. We adore tripe, and especially love "lampredotto", similar to tripe but a different stomach. You'll see Tripe stalls dotted about florence with only us and the japanese eating from them. The Best one in the whole wide-world is big Marione's tripe stall on Porta Romana square (by the entrance to the art school behind Boboli). Follow your nose and try any of his other astounding daily dishes: Bollito Misto (mixed boiled meats on Monday), lampredotto e carciofi (tripe and artichokes), lampredotto e fagioli (tripe and beans), lampredotto all'inzimino (tripe and spinach), and Stufato di Guancia (beef cheek stew on Thursday). Butter is hard in comparison. If you're on a loose end near the San Frediano area, I also strongly recommend "Il Guscio" (Via dell'Orto) for lunch. They're normally a pricey restaurant, but the cut-down lunch menu is vastly cheaper and still fantastic. Spend €10 each and rub sholdours with only florentines del quartiere (from the borough). If you're there in January, you must imperatively bring back (in your suitcase in a tin can) the New Oil (Olio Novo). It was just made in late November. It'll still be peppery and strong and delicious in January. While you're in Florence, have it on toasted tuscan bread (unsalted) with Cannellini beans and / or with Cavolo Nero (also in season). Wed Dec 24 05:30:58 -0800 2008 4237956 250949 Lampredotto 2 4271169 Before I read your advice, I saw your name and loved it! One of my disappointments about my stay in Florence is that I didn't manage to sample some. I saw it the first night at the right time and was too jetlagged and disoriented to plunge in and try it when I had a vague notion of what it was. I brought back a full tin of olio nuevo, and I'm ladling it into smaller bottles for Christmas presents. Wed Dec 24 08:20:03 -0800 2008 4270811 59951 thinks too much 3 4271930 Hehe ;) Doh! Xmas presents. Yes that's my staple gift to everyone... in London. I've turned all my friends into addicts. I'm still waiting for my delivery. It's in London now, having hitched a lift across Europe, and now waiting for the next carrier to bring it over the ocean to me. Only one more week... Wed Dec 24 15:09:12 -0800 2008 4271169 250949 Lampredotto 1 4279483 Buca dell'Orafo, volta dei Girolami 28r (right next to the Ponte Vecchio) serves consistently fabulous Tuscan food (the maltagliati with the ragu and pecorino is amazing), is very cheap, and has a very cute atmosphere: be prepared to squeeze right next to your neighbors but the close quarters just adds to the experience. David and the rest of the staff there are very nice and attentive. For lunch, Da Sergio on Piazza San Lorenzo is a great local spot--only open for lunch. It's hidden behind the phony Guccis being sold near Mercato Centrale but the restaurant is totally authentic. Off the handwritten menu, I had stracotto with fagioli all'ucceletto, completely delicious. Mon Dec 29 07:15:01 -0800 2008 4237956 252244 birbantella 1 4302155 I have not stayed there but Rcik Steves recommends Kattihouse and I have found him to be reliable for charming inexpensive places. Let me know if you stay there. Tue Jan 06 16:33:39 -0800 2009 4237956 33737 julesgarcia