Florence Food & Wine: A Tuscan Tasting Itinerary
Tuscany invented the good life at the table, and Florence is its kitchen. This themed itinerary walks you through the Mercato Centrale, puts a rolling pin in your hand for fresh pasta, and rolls out into the Chianti hills for wine straight from the cellar — with the top-rated tastings, classes and half-day tours to book for each.
At a glance
- 1Mercato Centrale food walking tour
- 2Hands-on pasta cooking class
- 3Half-day Chianti wine tasting
- 4Gelato & Florentine steak to finish
Graze the Mercato Centrale
Begin with a food walking tour through the San Lorenzo district and the two-tier Mercato Centrale, where guides thread you between stalls of pecorino, finocchiona salami, lampredotto and cantucci. Tastings usually add up to a light meal, and a good tour explains the wine windows and street-food traditions along the way. Most run 2.5 to 3.5 hours and start from around €55.
Cook it yourself
Turn tasting into making with a hands-on cooking class. Many start with a market shop for ingredients before you roll fresh pasta, shape ravioli and layer a tiramisu — often with unlimited Tuscan wine poured as you cook. It's a relaxed few hours and one of the city's best rainy-day options; book a small-group class in advance, from about €60 with your own meal at the end.
