A Florentine Wedding Planner’s Food Guide to the City
One of the questions I often get from couples planning a wedding in Florence is surprisingly simple: “Where should we eat?” And I completely understand why.
When you are planning a wedding in Florence, you are not only choosing a venue, a florist or the perfect table setting. You are also inviting your guests to experience a city that is, quite literally, delicious.
As a wedding planner who lives in Florence, I have the advantage of experiencing the city not only as a destination, but as a local. And that means I can recommend places that work for different kinds of guests: the first-time visitor who wants to try the famous Florentine classics, the foodie looking for something more authentic, and even the Florentine who simply wants to rediscover their own city.
And yes, we have to start with All’Antico Vinaio.
All’Antico Vinaio: the schiacciata that conquered the world
All’ Antico Vinaio has become almost a landmark of contemporary Florence. Located on Via dei Neri, just a few steps from Piazza della Signoria, it is famous for its generously filled schiacciate, made with Tuscan ingredients such as cured meats, cheeses and vegetables.
The story of All’Antico Vinaio is particularly interesting. What began as a small Florentine business grew enormously thanks to social media and TripAdvisor. By the end of 2014, it had become the most reviewed restaurant in the world on TripAdvisor.
Today, the queue outside has almost become part of the experience.
And I have to admit: even as someone who lives in Florence, I can understand the attraction. There is something wonderfully Florentine about standing in the middle of the historic centre, holding a warm schiacciata filled with excellent local ingredients.
For a wedding guest with limited time, it is also an easy introduction to Tuscan food: informal, generous and very Florentine.
But here is my little secret…
All’Antico Vinaio is not the only place worth trying.
Florence has much more than one famous schiacciata
The popularity of All’Antico Vinaio sometimes gives visitors the impression that there is one definitive place to eat schiacciata in Florence. There isn’t.
Schiacciata is deeply rooted in Florentine food culture, and there are many different interpretations, from simple olive-oil versions to richly filled sandwiches with Tuscan salumi and pecorino. Local food guides currently list numerous places across the city offering their own versions.
If you want to explore beyond the most famous address, I have a few places I would put on your Florence food map.
Something different: discover Florence beyond the schiacciata
Of course, Florence does not begin and end with bread. If you have more time in the city, I always encourage wedding guests to try some of the dishes that are much more closely connected to traditional Florentine cooking.
Think lampredotto, bistecca alla Fiorentina, ribollita, pappa al pomodoro, Tuscan crostini, local pecorino and cured meats.
Some of these dishes are wonderfully rustic. They are not necessarily the kind of food you eat delicately while wearing your best wedding outfit, but they are part of what makes Florence so interesting.
And that is precisely why I love creating recommendations for wedding guests.
The Florence I recommend is not always the Florence on the postcard
When couples come to Florence from abroad, they naturally want to see the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi. They should.
But after the photographs, the museums and the wedding celebrations, there is another Florence waiting around the corner. It is the Florence of a quick panino eaten standing in a tiny street, of a glass of Chianti and a plate of pecorino, and of a bakery where you stop because something smells too good to walk past.
The Florence where you suddenly realise that lunch has lasted two hours.
And sometimes, that is where the most memorable moments happen.
My advice for wedding guests in Florence
If you are coming to Florence for a wedding, don’t plan every minute of your stay. Leave some room for food discoveries.
Try the famous places, by all means. All’Antico Vinaio is famous for a reason, and there is something fun about experiencing a Florentine institution that has become known around the world.
But also ask your wedding planner in Florence where they actually go.
Because one of the advantages of working with someone who lives in Florence is precisely this: I can help you move beyond the obvious recommendations and find places that suit you, your guests and the kind of experience you want to have.
After all, a wedding in Florence should not only give you beautiful photographs. It should give you stories to take home.
And preferably a few crumbs in your bag, too.
