Florence tastes better in Oltrarno. This 3.5-hour guided food and wine walk strings together classic Tuscan bites and drinks across the Oltrarno and Santo Spirito sides of town, ending with gelato and a proper look at how locals eat and drink.

I love two things most: the small group size (12 or fewer), which keeps it lively and allows questions, and the fact that you get 8-plus food tastings and 6 drinks. It is built like an evening meal, not a quick tour of samples.

One drawback to plan for: this is very much an alcohol-forward night, with multiple wine stops (including Chianti Classico and Prosecco). If you want to go lighter, you will need to request non-alcoholic options for the parts where drinks are normally served.

Key highlights at a glance

• Oltrarno and Santo Spirito focus: you spend time where Florence feels lived-in, not staged for tourists
• Negroni making, not just tasting: you mix the cocktail and then drink it with an aperitivo
• Florentine steak moment: you get a sit-down stop built around Tuscan classics
• Gelato in gelato’s birthplace: it ends with a scoop from Santo Spirito, with organic regional ingredients
• Guides who keep it fun: names like Marilisa, Marco, Mara, Lorenzo, Serena, and others get praised for energy and storytelling
• A lot of variety in a short walk: cheese, bruschette, focaccia, cold cuts, pasta, steak, vinsanto, cantucci, and gelato

Oltrarno and Santo Spirito, the practical way

Oltrarno is where you go when you want Florence without the loudest crowds. This tour starts in that neighborhood energy, at Piazza Santo Spirito, and finishes at Piazza Torquato Tasso. You are walking through streets that feel more everyday, with small food places that do not exist to be photographed.

The route is designed for a moderate walking pace. That matters because Florence can get step-heavy fast. Here, the stops are close enough that you are not spending the whole evening rushing between locations. If you like your tours to feel like a night out, not a forced march, this one fits.

Also, it helps that the tour is near public transportation. So even if your hotel is elsewhere, you are not stuck planning a long trek just to begin.

Price and value: what $133.08 really buys

At $133.08 per person for about 3 hours 30 minutes, the big question is whether you are paying for food or paying for marketing. Here, you get both the food and the guidance, and the drink list is substantial enough to change the feel of the evening.

You are included for:

• 8-plus food tastings
• 6 drinks
• An English-speaking expert guide
• A small group of 12 people or fewer

Why that is good value in real life: Florence food experiences can be pricey, and a single wine-and-snack stop does not automatically become a full meal. This tour builds in multiple dining moments, including a steak stop and a dessert finish. It also gives you context, so you are not just eating and moving on.

One more value point, often overlooked: you do not have to hunt for a decent sequence of places on your own. The evening is already timed, paced, and structured.

The full itinerary, stop by stop (and what to watch for)

This is a multi-stop tasting format. Expect the food to keep coming, and expect wine to show up more than once. The good news is that you are not stuck with one type of food for the whole night. It is cheese and bread, cured meats, steak and sides, plus gelato.

Stop 1: Caffè Notte for Tuscan favorites and Chianti Classico

You start at Caffè Notte, where the focus is classic Tuscan comfort food. The tasting includes regional cheese plus bread-and-carry flavors like bruschette and focaccia, paired with Chianti Classico.

What I like about this as a start: it gets you into the Tuscan flavor set immediately. Chianti Classico is a solid baseline for how the rest of the night’s wines will feel, and the cheese-and-bread combo is an easy way to settle in before the menu gets more serious.

Quick tip: take small bites at first. You want to enjoy it, not fill up too fast before the steak stop.

Stop 2: BABAE for Prosecco

Next up is BABAE, where you enjoy a glass of Florence’s famous Prosecco. This is a short stop, so it works like a reset button between the heavier savory food moments.

Consider it a palate shift. If you tend to find red wine heavy early in the evening, this Prosecco break is helpful.

Stop 3: Caffè Notte again for Negroni mixing plus schiacciata

Back at Caffè Notte, you learn how to make a Negroni, then you drink what you make. You also get an aperitivo with freshly baked schiacciata.

This is one of the more memorable parts of the experience because it turns you from a passive taster into an active participant. It is also a fun group moment, since everyone ends up mixing the same iconic drink.

If you do not drink alcohol normally, you can still find ways to enjoy the food. The tour notes that it is adaptable for non-alcoholic options, but you should plan ahead so you are not stuck adapting on the fly.

Stop 4: Trattoria BBQ Barbecue for Tuscan pasta and Florentine steak

Now you get the sit-down energy. At Trattoria BBQ Barbecue, you try a traditional Tuscan pasta and the headline dish, Florentine steak.

This is the stop that makes the tour feel like a real dinner. Florentine steak is not just a food item, it is an identity. In Florence, it is the kind of dish people talk about for a reason, and the timing here means you are eating it after you have already warmed up your appetite with cheese, bread, and cold cuts.

One practical note: this is where you will likely feel the evening in your feet. You have already walked and tasted, so pace yourself with wine here if you want to stay sharp.

Stop 5: Gelateria Artigianale La Sorbettiera in Santo Spirito

Last stop is gelato at Gelateria Artigianale La Sorbettiera, in Santo Spirito. You choose your favorite flavor, made with organic regional ingredients.

Ending with gelato is classic for a reason: sweetness and cold reset everything. It also gives you a Florence signature that is simple to enjoy after wine and steak.

What you will eat and drink, beyond the headline stops

The tasting menu hits a wide spread of Tuscan staples. The tour includes things like:

• A glass of Chianti plus tastes of Tuscan pecorino, plus bruschette and onion focaccia
• A glass of Prosecco
• Two small glasses of Tuscan wines (red and white)
• Four cold cuts, including crudo toscano, finocchiona, salame toscano, and lardo
• Schiacciata as part of the aperitivo sequence
• Vinsanto and cantucci
• Gelato as dessert

If you are a food person, this variety is the point. You are not just drinking and hoping. You get to compare flavors across categories: aged cheeses versus cured meats, brighter bread tastes versus richer steak, then sweet dessert to close.

It also helps you learn how these dishes fit together. Tuscan meals are not built like one ingredient takes center stage. It is about combinations, portions, and pacing.

Wine focus: Chianti, Prosecco, and the rest of the pour

This tour includes multiple wine moments. You will see:

• Chianti Classico at the start
• Prosecco early in the route
• Additional Tuscan wines, including red and white
• A red wine pairing around the steak sequence
• Vinsanto and cantucci with dessert

You should go into it knowing you are not just sampling one glass. Wine is part of the structure, especially with the cocktail making and the steak sit-down.

If you like wine, this is a straightforward win because the stops are intentional. If you prefer not to drink much, the tour being adaptable for non-alcoholic options is helpful, but you should email the team after booking if you know you will want changes.

Diet, allergies, and who this tour fits best

This is a flexible tour in many ways, but it is not a match for everyone.

Good fit for:

• Vegetarians
• Pescatarians
• Gluten free (not celiac)
• Dairy free
• Non-alcoholic options
• Pregnant women

Not suitable for:

• Vegans
• People with celiac disease

Food allergy reality check:

• If you have serious food allergies, you will need to sign an allergy waiver at the start.
• For dietary restrictions or allergies, email the guest experience team after booking so they can arrange ingredients.

If you are choosing between this tour and another in Florence, this is a useful fact pattern. You can get options, but it is not designed for vegan or celiac needs.

Why the guides matter on a food tour

On a tasting tour, the guide is not just narration. The best guides make the stops feel like a conversation. They explain why something tastes the way it does and what people look for when they order it.

In this tour, the guide experience gets high marks. Names like Marilisa, Marco, Mara, Lorenzo, Serena, Carolina, Chiara, Jessica, and Christina show up in praise for being upbeat, funny, and energetic, and for making the night feel personal even with strangers in the group.

You can also learn useful context, like how Florence gelato culture works and why specific foods like Florentine steak matter. The tone in those reports is consistent: you learn food stories without turning the night into a classroom.

For me, the practical lesson is this: show up hungry and ready to ask questions. If you do, a good guide will give you more than the menu.

Walking logistics, and how to prepare like a local

This is a walking tour, so your shoes matter. Keep it simple: comfy footwear, a light layer if the evenings are chilly, and a small bag you can carry without stress.

The tour also has no hotel pickup or drop-off. You start at Piazza Santo Spirito and end at Piazza Torquato Tasso, so plan your evening around an end point on foot.

It is also capped at 12 people, so you can expect a calmer rhythm than the bigger group tours. People talk, ask, compare bites, and the guide can handle questions without the usual bottleneck.

And do one more thing that makes a tasting tour easier: go at an early enough time in your trip. If this is one of your first Florence food stops, it helps you recognize what you see later in the city.

Who should book this (and who should skip it)

This tour is for you if:

• You want Oltrarno instead of only the busiest center
• You like food plus drinks, with structured tastings
• You want a guided night where you do not have to figure out what to order
• You are excited by Florentine steak and gelato as end goals

Skip it or choose carefully if:

• You want a low-alcohol experience. The wine stops are frequent. Non-alcoholic options exist, but this is still built around drinking.
• You need vegan meals or you have celiac disease. The tour is not suitable for those needs.
• You prefer a totally hands-off, sit-and-watch tour. This one is built around walking and eating at several stops.

Also, the itinerary repeats a location for the Negroni part at Caffè Notte. That is not bad, it just means you should enjoy the rhythm, not expect a totally new venue every 20 minutes.

Should you book this Florence Oltrarno food and wine tour?

Yes, if you want a flavorful first look at how Florentines snack, sip, and sit down for steak. The price makes sense because you are not paying for one restaurant meal. You are paying for a guided tasting route with multiple wine servings, cured meats, pasta, steak, and a gelato finale, all in a small group setting.

I would book this early in your trip if you can. It gives you food benchmarks for the rest of Florence, so when you later order something on your own, you know what you are tasting and why it matters.

Book this with caution if you avoid alcohol, or if your dietary needs fall outside the adaptable options. In those cases, message the team after booking so you can match the tour to your needs before you show up.

If you like an evening that feels social, structured, and genuinely Tuscan in flavor, this is a strong choice.

FAQ

How long is the Florence Oltrarno Food & Wine Dine Around tour?

It runs about 3 hours 30 minutes.

Where does the tour start and end?

It starts at Piazza Santo Spirito, 50125 Firenze FI, Italy and ends at Piazza Torquato Tasso, 50124 Firenze FI, Italy.

Is this tour walking only?

Yes. It is a walking tour with a moderate pace and no hotel pickup is included.

What is included in the price?

The tour includes 8-plus food tastings and 6 drinks, an expert English-speaking guide, and a small group of 12 people or fewer.

What food and drinks can I expect?

You’ll taste Tuscan items like regional cheese, bruschette, focaccia, schiacciata, cold cuts, Tuscan pasta, Florentine steak, vinsanto and cantucci, and gelato. Drinks include Chianti Classico, Prosecco, additional Tuscan wines, and more.

Is it suitable for vegetarians or pescatarians?

Yes. The tour is adaptable for vegetarians and pescatarians.

Is it suitable for vegans?

No. The tour is not suitable for vegans.

Can the tour accommodate gluten free diets?

Yes, it is adaptable for gluten free (not celiac).

Are non-alcoholic options available?

Yes. The tour is adaptable for non-alcoholic options.

What if I have a serious food allergy?

You’ll need to sign an allergy waiver at the start of the tour. If you have dietary restrictions or food allergies, you should email the guest experience team after booking so they can arrange your ingredients.