How to cope with the tourist crowd in Florence

Florence is a major destination for foreign visitors in Italy. We don’t really need to explain why this happens, do we? The city center of the Tuscan capital is by far the best preserved and maintained among the so-called “art cities” in Italy. Travel + Leisure ranks Florence in second place among “Italy’s 11 Essential Cities” to visit.

So how do you find your way through the crowds of tourists? How can you discover the most authentic dishes and bars frequented by locals? The answer is simple: find a local to guide you. This is the easiest and fastest way to open the doors of local culture.

Try stepping outside the areas recommended by your favorite Instagram influencer. For instance, choose the Sant’Ambrogio food market rather than San Lorenzo. Choose restaurants without photos of dishes, and avoid places with staff standing in the street trying to attract passersby. You may also want to meet Italians during your stay, so check today’s events on Florence Today.

Streaty Tours tries to be responsible

Our Florence food tours are offered in small groups for a simple reason: we don’t want to negatively impact citizens’ daily lives. Instead, we want our travelers to enjoy the city with locals, to interact with them, exchange stories, and share a glass of wine. That is the true spirit of travel.

Taking a food tour in Florence in a small group means having the chance to enter small, family-run delis and discover old-school specialties enjoyed by locals. During visits to the market, we try not to obstruct vendors, staying to the sides and observing real life as it unfolds. This is our way of being more sustainable, along with reducing plastic consumption as much as possible. Water is normally not included in Streaty tours; otherwise, we would need to purchase more than 2,000 plastic bottles a year. Bring your own water bottle instead, and the problem is solved.

Stereotypical Italian food versus real Florentine cuisine

We will never get tired of repeating that spritz and pasta is not a traditional Italian combination, it’s a culinary sin for Italians. Pasta goes with wine; pizza and street food go with beer. Spritz comes before the meals.

If you want to eat like a local, follow local habits. Let’s start with the famous Florentine steak: in tourist restaurants, it is often served incorrectly on a hot plate. Florentine steak should be served on a wooden cutting board (tagliere), not a heated dish. It is served already cooked because everything depends on the cooking process—properly cooked steak doesn’t need extra heat.

One more thing: you won’t find tiramisu in traditional Tuscan cuisine. Instead, try cantucci and Vin Santo—dip the almond cantucci into the sweet wine, sit back, relax, enjoy people-watching, and be proud of your choice.

Streaty Food Tours in Florence were created to guide visitors in search of the most authentic Florentine cuisine. Just follow us to make sure you eat and act like a local. There are several recipes offered on our street food tours that tourists never heard about such as the delicious coccoli, soft fritters filled with cheese and prosciutto. Vegetarians are more than welcome to Streaty Florence food tours, in fact, our guides pick the best vegetarian specialties of the day for our guests. Our tours are fully customizable, not only in the food offer but also in the itinerary and attractions to include in the experience.