The “Relais Grand Tour" & "Maison Grand Tour” are located in the same building in the heart of the historic center of Florence, in Via Santa Reparata 21, in a historical & cultural triangle between the Accademia Gallery, the Duomo, and San Lorenzo.
Here is a short list of places we love – places where you will learn to love Florentine art and way of life.
Florence is the perfect location to explore the Tuscan region and its gorgeous towns.
A small place to visit, very easy to reach in 30 minutes by bus is Fiesole, located on a hilltop, (bus n. 7 from S. Marco square). An interesting walk from the central square of this small town (piazza Mino), following the direction for San Francesco church, which has the most enchanting view of Florence. Visit also the archeological area with its Roman theatre. There are a couple of good places to eat, one of them very romantic with a terrace overlooking Florence.
Other small towns to visit on a day trip across the countryside are not difficult to reach.
The most well known is certainly Siena, world-famous for its Palio (horse racing) and the medieval narrow streets and its marvelous cathedral. Best choice is to take the bus from Florence and you will be there in about one hour.
Together with Siena you can't miss San Gimignano with its towers, and the small towns of Montalcino and Montepulciano, where wine tastings are a must during a daily tour in the Chianti area.
Pisa and Lucca are easier to be reached by train from Florence. While Pisa is famous for the leaning tower and the Piazza dei Miracoli, Lucca is a small medieval town with one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the area. Good for a day tour.
Arezzo and Cortona: both by train from Florence. Arezzo is famous in our country to represent one of the most important Antique Markets (first weekend of each month). Vendors are over 200, and they offer paintings, a wide range of furniture, objects from the past, terracotta, restored works. Visitors are about 20.000 each weekend, and they are not only collectors and dealers, but also people curious about art and history.
Cortona is a very beautiful village up a hill, very famous for the Italian artist Piero da Cortona. The church of San Domenico has an altar piece of the 15th cent. and works of Singorelli and Beato Angelico, who also frescoed the cells of the San Marco Convent (today the San Marco Museum) a block away from the Relais Grand Tour.
RESTAURANTS WE RECOMMEND
COCCOLE
hot chocolate, chocolates, biscuits, home-made small cakes, tea house, and the best chocolate-cappuccino in the city center. In summer frozen chocolate, sorbets, ice-creams... Very cosy.
L'OLANDESE VOLANTE
Via San Gallo, 3 min. walk from here. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! But not only; together with a good choice of pralines from Holland, you will find smoked fish, some kind of cheese, herbal teas, ginger cakes...
HERBALISTS' SHOP DOCTOR VRANJES
Via San Gallo. Home Italian essences (our favourite is "fiori di Sicilia") and eau de toilette, body lotions and special face creams for all skin types, lip balms. Also: special "tisanas" (infusions).
CAFE' NABUCO WINE BAR
at the end of the street where the Grand Tour is located. Not for your breakfast only! This is a very good place for the buffet aperitifs and wines. Well-known by the locals.
CAFE' "I' BIRBA"
Via San Gallo. The place is nice, convenient and offers genuine sandwiches and maybe the best home-made "torta di mele" (apple pie) in the area, available after 1pm. No fees for the table service.
PUGI BAKERY
Via San Gallo and Piazza San Marco. If you're looking for a slice of good pizza or a very good sandwich, Pugi shop is what you need. All the pizzas are great, and their famous "schiacciata" (savoury) is one of the favourite light-lunch for Florentine people.
RESTAURANT "IL VEGETARIANO"
Via delle Ruote 30; about 5 min. walk from the B&B, Via S. Gallo area. Tue-Fri 12.30-2pm and 7.30-10.30pm (average E.15-20, no c.cards). If you prefere not to eat another 1kilo-Florentine-steak, or just want to try something different, this is the best vegetarian restaurant in Florence.
ICE CREAM "CARABE'"
Via Ricasoli, after the cross-road with the Academy street, less than 5 min. walk from the B&B. One of the 3 best "gelaterie" in Florence, with organic Sicilian products. Fruit water-ices are superb.
ICE CREAM "IL RE GELATO"
Fortezza da Basso, at the corner with Via Ridolfi. Actually is our most favourite in the city. Organic ingredients coming from all Italy, a special taste in each flavour, due to the essential oils like orange flowers, jasmine, cocoa...You must go and taste.
TRATTORIA "NERBONE"
if you love Italian food, you can't miss the main food market in town, located in Piazza del Mercato Centrale, just 2 min. walk from us, and the trattoria Nerbone inside it. The place opens at 7am and closed around 1pm: pasta and soups well coocked, but everybody come here for the "panino al lampredotto" (cow's intestine) with special sauces, "trippa" (tripe), and "bollito misto" (a mixed boiled cow's meat, tongue, trotter, etc.).
RESTAURANT "PEPO'"
Via Rosina-Piazza del Mercato Centrale. Mon-Sun 12.30-2pm and 7.30-10.30pm. (average E. 40,oo). It's one of our favourite place to eat, good value for money. Home cuisine, tuscan food with an excellent steak, some fish dishes. The menu changes day by day and everything is fresh. Nice small place. Could be crowded after 8.30pm.
RESTAURANT "COQUINARIUS"
Duomo square, Via delle Oche 15R.(small street) Mon-Sat 12 - 11.00pm. Not expensive at all, it offers pastas, salads, smoked fish and Italian cheeses. Own-made cakes. Bistrot atmosphere, very very nice. It can be considered as a Café and not only as a restaurant.
RESTAURANT TIBERIO
close to the Vegetariano in Via delle Ruote, here the food is simple and well done. A steak, a special pasta, the fried fish. A good address for locals.
ICE-CREAM "GROM"
Duomo sqare, Via delle Oche. Simply delicious. Try the "torroncino cream" or the dark chocolate, or the "cassata siciliana", or the "crema di Grom".
CAFE' "PROCACCI"
Via de'Tornabuoni 64R. Mon-Sat 10.30am-8pm. Small traditional fiorentine bar and shop, ideal place to relax after the expensive shopping in Via Tornabuoni, where all the main boutiques and jewelleries are located. PS. not cheap.
DA 'INO
Via dei Georgofili 3R- Uffizi area(jan and feb. Tue-Fri 12-5pm Sat.11am-7pm; during the other months 11am-7pm Tue-Sat) High quality artisanal enogastronomical products to taste and/or to take away.
SHOPS WE CAN RECOMMEND
"SPAZIO A"
Via di Porta Rossa 107R. Mon 3-7pm and Tue-Sat 10am-7pm. Creations for women by Alberta Ferretti, Moschino, J.P. Gaultier. The staff is friendly and the clothes are fab! Expensive, of course, but not exaggerate.
ASPESI BOUTIQUE
Via di Porta Rossa 81R. Mon 3-7pm and Tue-Sat 10am-2pm; 3-7pm. If you're looking for clothes in special very elegant colours, this is the right place. Linen, silk, velvet, light wool. Expensive, but the quality is high.
CALVANI SHOES
Via degli Speziali 7R, Piazza della Repubblica area. Mon-Sat 9am-7.30pm. Sun 3-7pm. Men's and women's shoes, different styles, from eccentric to elegant. Sport foot-wear, boots...Very chic!
MALLONI
The most trendy. Shoes and clothes (women only) in a very contemporary design, totally made in Italy.
Our region is world-famous for its wines: from the Brunello di Montalcino to the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and from the Classic Chianti wine to the Sassicaia. Excellent wines of smaller producers can be reached exploring the country, and it's not unusual to find a small cellar where a wine by glass is offered togher with a tastings of pecorino cheese and salami.
But we also have special olive oil: the Extra-Virgin Tuscan olive oil is perfect for the Bruschetta, on beans, salads, and – why not – on the T-bone Florentine steak.
What to say about food? Typical soups like "ribollita" (cabbage, beans, onions, carrots, celery, a little tomato, extra-virgin olive oil, bread) and "pappa al pomodoro" (bread, many tomatoes, onion, celery, extra-virgin olive oil) they are a Florentine specialty, just like the "fagioli all'uccelletto" (beans in tomato sauce) and the famous bistecca.
Tuscany is famous for grilled meat: from the steak to the chicken, the rabbit, the pork sausage. Then we have the "trippa alla fiorentina" (Florentine tripe coocked in a sauce made of tomatoes, onions, celery and parmigiano), and other more simple food like prosciutto Toscano that you can taste inside your panino. Another excellent food is the boiled mixed meat ("bollito misto") of pork, beef, chicken, together with potatoes, carrots, celery and onion. The meat is sliced and placed inside a bun with a sauce made of parsley, chilli, garlic and basil, or is served in the pot with mustard or a home-made mayonnaise.
Cakes and biscuits? It is said that we have some of the most famous maitre chocolatier in Italy, the famous Cantuccini and Vinsanto are a must at the end of a good dinner. We also have the "ricciarelli" famous and excellent & typical from Siena area, and the "brutti ma buoni" (ugly but good). The Panforte cake and the "castagnaccio" with chestnut flour, sugar, raisins, olive oil, rosemary are florentine's most typical seasonal cakes.