Florence today seems much livelier and friendlier than at any time since I first visited it 40 years ago. Florentines ascribe this change to the election two years ago of 36-year-old Matteo Renzi as its mayor and his decision to pedestrianise the area around the Duomo, which has made it easier to walk around and admire the stunning architecture. The rich surrounding countryside has long produced top quality olive oil, cheese, hams and delicious Chianti, which today's chefs seem to be using to ever greater effect.
SUNDAY BRUNCH AT FOUR SEASONS HOTEL FIRENZE
Borgo Pinti 99, + 39 055 2626 1, fourseasons.com/florence
For 500 years, this enormous palazzo with its beautiful, extensive garden remained closed to the public. Today, it is a five-star hotel with commensurate room rates but with one great deal: a €70 Sunday brunch open to non-residents, which offers a stunning setting, Four Seasons style and Italian generosity, all under the skilled command of executive chef, Vito Mollica. We began by mixing our own Bloody Marys, moved slowly along the mouthwatering array of antipasti, debated the relative merits of ravioli stuffed with artichoke, chicory lasagne and saffron pasta with salt cod. Then, after a decent pause, we headed for the main courses: veal cheeks with polenta, suckling pig, guinea fowl and lamb. The tables of cheeses and desserts dictate that you should arrive early and leave late. Wine is included.
IL GUSCIO
Via Dell'Orto 49, +39 055 224421, il-guscio.it
By contrast, walking into Il Guscio feels rather like putting on an old pair of comfortable shoes. Its smiling patron, Francesco, emanates reassurance as he stands by the espresso machine, as does the growing realisation that Il Guscio has been serving great Tuscan food for 25 years. We did justice to a generous menu: linguine with ginger, clams and chilli, crostini topped with lardo (cured pork fat) and a slab of polenta topped with mushrooms, their extremely popular seafood casserole served in a frying pan, and hard, almond biscotti dunked in a glass of luscious Vin Santo. The restaurant's other distinction is a long, inexpensively priced wine list, so it is quite feasible to follow our example and spend more on the wine than the food. With a mature Chianti, 2004 I Sodi di San Niccolò from Castellare, our bill came to €118, of which the wine was €60.
IL SANTO BEVITORE
Via Santo Spirito 66, +39 055 211264, ilsantobevitore.com
The happy drinker, as the name of this buzzy restaurant translates, could not be more fittingly titled or usefully located. It is a minute's walk south of the River Arno in an area equally popular with Florentines and tourists and just five minutes from the Pitti Palace and unmissable Brancacci Chapel. As a result, the restaurant has a warm, dynamic feel to it. At night the kitchen turns out a much more extensive menu, enhanced by regular associations with nearby winemakers and butchers, while during the day it produces just the kind of food any exhausted tourist will relish: wooden boards of excellent hams and cheeses, risotto with courgettes and a hearty squid stew with ultra garlicky bread. Shelves around the room hold the wines that the waiters retrieve with extendable pincers.
ZEB GASTRONOMIA
Via San Miniato, 2 rosso, +39 055 23 42 864, zebgastronomia.com
Zeb, in the increasingly popular San Niccolò area, is at its busiest early on a Saturday afternoon. That's when fashionable Florentines head there for a comforting plate of delicious food after a hard morning's shopping. Zeb stands for zuppa e bollito (soup and boiled meats) and is a particularly stylish diner crossed with a grocery store that belongs to Giuseppina Navari and her son Alberto. There are about 20 seats around a central counter, which the owners patrol, describing their dishes of the day, taking orders and showing a solicitous interest in how their customers' meals are progressing. Soups are a highlight, the pasta is great, there are several cold dishes for the summer months, desserts are delicious and the shelves are full of good things to take home as presents.
British Airways flies to Florence up to twice a day from Gatwick airport. Visit ba.com
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