One of the best ways to truly get to know a city is to eat what the locals eat. A culture's cuisine reflects its values and habits, vices and virtues. So once you've visited the major museums of Florence, it's time to inspire your other senses. The experience of a meal in Italy is a full-on familial production, and food is cared for, nurtured and appreciated by the hands of the cook as well as those partaking in the meal. Food is not just nourishment, it is a glorious and gluttonous (the Italians use the word "goloso") experience that requires body and mind. Enlivening, enriching, soul-filling.
So the best way to get to know Florence is to walk through it's markets, observe what's being sold and what's not. Ask for cooking tips and recipes and the butchers and local farmers will gladly give you their advice. Take a class in a local Tuscan kitchen and you'll enjoy a full-sensory experience as well as a full-stomach (most classes dine on the recipes they've created in the class).
Here is a short list of food tours and lessons from locals that only bring out small-group tours.
Food Tours in Florence
- Taste Florence- "Where eating is an art". A small food tour company owned by an American expat obsessed with good food. The tour is lauded by the Boston Globe and USA Today. The general food tour, which tastes cheeses, olive oil, balsamic, salumi, wine and sweets, has nothing but excellent reviews on Trip Advisor. Other tours include cheese and wine tasting and a crash course in espresso. Tours go out every day.
- Food Lover's Walking Tour- A private walking tour led by the assistant to renowned journalist and cookbook author, Faith Willinger. Great company and attention to personal requests, this tour will not only lead you (and taste through) the local market but will share some of Florence's hidden culinary secrets (gelato, chocolate, specialty panini, cheeses, olive oil, etc). Tours every day as requested.
- Judy Witts- Divina Cucina-Expat of 20 years, jovial and bright, Judy Witts brings a lucky group to discover the San Lorenzo Central Market every Monday. Tour includes tastings, lunch and Judy's cooking and visiting tips that with her amount of experience are gift alone.
Cooking Classes in Tuscany
- Faith Willinger- Whether you want to visit the famous butcher in Panzano or want a demo and 8 course cooking session in her kitchen (with goodie bag), journalist, cook, author, connoisseur, adventurer, Faith Willinger offers up her infinite knowledge of Italian cuisine and culture while prepping artichokes and explaining good grappa.
- Benedetta Vitali- Co-founder of the famed Cibreo, Benedetta is an acclaimed Italian cook who owns restaurant Zibibbo, where she hosts short as well as more intense cooking lessons (she calls them immersions since the courses are held in the working restaurant's kitchen) and encounters.
- Divina Cucina- Here Judy Witts, expat expert on Tuscan cuisine, invites you into her kitchen for several day-long cooking classes that include trips to the local market (Colle Val d'Elsa) for produce, discussion and explanation of local products and customs, and then a hands-on demo and cooking session.
- In Tavola- Located in the artisan section of Florence, the Oltrarno (across the Arno), this well-equipped yet intimate cooking school offers beginner and professional courses as well as lessons tailored to group or individual lessons.
Cristina Pinton - American artist, writer, teacher having lived in Italy for 8 years, narrating, commenting on, observing and challenging life around her.
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