Four nights in Firenze, coming just a week after the epic French trip. You know what they say about London buses! (What?…Ed). A carefully planned adventure by train (all eight separate journeys – ten with the Metro) with a stay in a rather smart and spacious Casa. Last time we stayed in Firenze it was in JK Place (now “The Place”..urgh) but either the prices have gone up rather a lot, or we’ve got poorer. Now you mention it, we have got poorer – much poorer – as a result of the ‘mad and dangerous’ Liz Truss and her totally inept chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng. These the words of a formerly loyal Tory MP, not us. Quite how they managed to crash the economy within a week of assuming ‘power’ evades both us and the rest of the world’s economic experts. Time will tell, but it doesn’t look at all good. As if landing us with Brexit wasn’t bad enough…

We had four pre-booked restaurants on our list, three courtesy of the Casa, and one from us. Needless to say the one in this review is none of those, but one we found by chance wandering the streets after rejecting Alla Vecchia Bettola. 

Le Barrique just felt right; it looked a riot of window stickers (Michelin up to 2021), and an eclectic collection of decorations inside that reminded us of The Cleveland Tontine in its heyday. Empty (19:45) but we were rapidly joined by other adventurers seeking out a nice little restaurant outside the madness (and expense) of the old town.

Goats cheese amuse, delightful shared bruschetti, local beef stew (like the beef Languedoc in Long Nights) and a shared pud with two glasses of Vin Santo. Nice wine by the glass – two red and two white. Funny and animated conversation with a jolly Austrian couple – their English embarrassingly proficient. They’d been together for 54 years and collected their memories – visits, cards, photos, receipts – in shoe boxes since they first met. We await the (volumes of) memoirs with interest. 

The four places we booked:

Cèbrio – ok. Not cheap. A bit too smart. Wouldn’t go back – and it was in a temporary home in a too smart hotel. Probably better in its original home. 

Cammillo – nice atmosphere, despite us being put in a room squashed full of Americans. Food ok but again expensive. “Cammillo opened in 1945 and today is still run by the same family who opened it. The food here is deeply embedded in Florence’s culinary DNA as well as family-passed down traditions”. Chatted to a charming American couple who we met again the next day in the Uffizi (Firenze is a small place!). The Uffizi – marvellously uplifting. Signature dish – 

Gucci Garden – when we turned up they said they’d cancelled our table in favour a big party. A cold and meagre (though v tasty) two courses with a complimentary glass of fizz in their outside space. 38 euros for a plate of cheese? We probably had a lucky escape. The Firenze outpost of Massimo Bottura, he of the ‘splatted pudding’ in Modena. You could go, but why would you? Save up for Modena.

Alla Vecchio Bettola – apparently the Casa’s favourite restaurant. Lots of meat (those famous Florentine steaks, lung and tripe) all served in bright, canteen like atmosphere. Not really us so, having walked there, we explored the neighbourhood and found…Le Barrique. 

Restaurant Le Barrique Firenze. Probably the only place we’d go back to.

…and another thing. 

Mercato Centrale. Wonderful beyond words. We nearly had lunch there. Next time. 

The porchetta shops on Via Del Neri. Great flatbread sandwiches and smooth red wine. There are guys in hi-vis gilets managing the queues down the street. Lots of extras…but no sage and onion stuffing. Come on guys…

…and we stayed at Casa Howard. Devine.