Discover Florence's local specialities

It's impossible to visit Florence without succumbing to the delights of the local cuisine. As well as the unmissable pizzas, it would be a crime not to try the famous gelati!

And gourmets will be delighted to find numerous gelaterias (ice cream parlours) in the heart of Florence. On almost every street corner, you'll find these shimmering mountains of ice. Vaniglia, nocciolate, cioccolato, fragola, melone... all mouth-watering flavours that are hard to resist. The ice creams are made with quality products, according to the rules of the art.

Sold in cones or cups at reasonable prices, they can be enjoyed in the slightest ray of sunshine. But if the weather isn't cooperating, head to a pasticceria for a hot chocolate and a sweet treat. Creamy and delicious, Italian hot chocolate is a real treat. The best thing you can do is try it!

If you want to live the Italian way, you have to shop the Florentine way. And there's only one place to go: il Mercato Centrale!

Built in the 19th century, the large glass hall of the central market houses dozens of stalls that look as if they've stepped straight out of an Arcimboldo painting. Pasta of all shapes and colours, olive oil, sundried tomatoes, wine, cheese, ham, fruit and vegetables... all Italian specialities are brought together in this colourful place.

People come here to shop and stroll, but also to share a moment in a friendly atmosphere. Many of the shops offer a coffee and a bollito, a tripe-based sandwich much loved by Florentines. The friendly shopkeepers offer quality local products and invite visitors to sample them in all simplicity.

It's a warm and tasty place, from which you'll leave with a full belly and arms full of parcels!

Shopaholics are sure to find what they're looking for in Florence. Jewellery, lingerie, shoes, ready-to-wear, haute couture, etc. The city's streets are overflowing with boutiques where shopaholics can indulge their spending urges.

Although you won't always find a bargain (Florence is also the capital of luxury), there is one area in which Florentines excel and which is still affordable: leather goods.

As you stroll through the city, you'll come across the workshops that have made the Tuscan city famous for their meticulous but limited production and unrivalled value for money.

For those with more modest wallets, the area around the Mercato Centrale with the San Lorenzo open market is not to be missed. Dozens of hawkers follow one another, displaying their stalls filled with leather goods. Handbags, jackets, hats, books... the products are of decent quality and more affordable.

However, it's a good idea to negotiate...

For centuries, Florence has been nourished by the terroir of its rich region: Tuscany. A land that has built its reputation around its most famous wine region, Chianti.

The charming, solitary beauty of Chianti is the result of a long history of human activity, which over the centuries has shaped this land into what it is today. Famous above all for the wine produced here, this area of Tuscany offers unique landscapes that are those of an authentically and traditionally rural place.

Its fields and vineyards, set on gentle hills, are the result of a history of prosperity but also of periods of misery, marked by conflicts between the peasants and the local lords; hostilities that have helped to shape an area dominated by rural life but dotted with villages and noble residences.

Numerous half-day and full-day excursions are organised from Florence to explore the Chianti region.