Here I give you some tips about the New Year’s Eve in Florence. Locals are used to spend the night of 12/31 in two ways: stay at home (or go to the restaurant) with friends and families for the traditional Cenone di Capodanno, or eat before midnight (pizza or a restaurant witha menu “à la carte”), then spend the night in the Lungarni on the river or in the piazza, champagne in a hand watching the midnight fireworks and then go for a drink (!) or a cappuccino&croissant in a Café.

This year, Florence offers several opportunities to spend and unforgettable New Years End in Tuscany:

Concerts in the squares, free access: “Elio e le Storie Tese” in Piazza Stazione (pop music), gospel choruses in Piazza SS. Annunziata, the traditional “Classic Concert” by maestro Lanzetta in the Signoria Square,  and the marching band “Funk Off“ in Piazza della Repubblica.

Restaurants open on 12/31 (book your table in advance!)

- Osteria Pepò and Osteria Tozzo di Pane: both unexpensive, both with a menu “à la carte”, friendly staff and good tuscan food. Very close to the Mr My Resort B&B, on your way to the Duomo square and Uffizi Gallery. Both are open on 1/1, too.

- Alle Murate: one of the most elegant places to eat in the city center. Expensive, Excellent, Exclusive. Duomo square.

A couple of good Cafés  open on 12/31 night: Gilli in Piazza della Repubblica, between the Duomo and Signoria square, and the Grand Caffé San Marco, in S. Marco square, very close to Mr My Resort BB and at the corner with the Academy Gallery and the David.

Did you already book one of our romantic rooms to spend your Christmas time in our beautiful city?

Most of our guests here at Mr My Resort bed and breakfast ask if Florence is open during Christmas and the New Year’s Eve vacations. Here is the answer: YES!

The city offers several exhibitions: from the one about Caravaggio (Uffizi), to the other about Bronzino, one of the most beautiful exhibition I have seen here in Florence since 10 years. There is also an important exhibition about an italian “naif” painter Ligabue in Palazzo Pitti, and you can’t miss the Damien Hirst diamonds skull in Palazzo Vecchio.

Traditional Christmas concerts and operas are scheduled in the most important theatres in the city center, such as Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Teatro Verdi and the Teatro della Pergola.

This year Xmas falls on Saturday, and shops are open all day on Friday. On Dec. 25th and 26th you can decide to have your Christmas lunch/dinner at Pepo’s (à la carte menu), take a walk to the Piazza della Repubblica for your cappuccino at Gilli Caffé (one of our favourite ), which is a very good place also for the aperitifs, too, and it is an elegand old-tylish Italian Café where it will be nice to seat and watch people, talk about your Christmas presents, write postcards to your family…

Higly recommended: a walking tour of the city center. The Old Bridge is a must, and it won’t be so crowded since locals are used to spend this day at home with families and at 5pm the Panettone cake is still on the lunch table…  You can walk up to the Piazzale Michelangelo and enjoy the great panorama from the San Miniato Cathedral, while the  Christmas lights begin to shine…

Remember that on Dec. 27th all the shops, cathedrals, bars, boutiques and small museums (Duomo included) are regulary open, and the famous food San Lorenzo Market (together with the leather stands in the streets) will be open and ready to offer all the best Tuscan food you can find in the city center.

 Tuesday Dec. 28th we inform you that ALL MUSEUMS IN FLORENCE WILL BE OPEN FOR FREE from 8.15AM to 11PM

 Very soon: how to spend the New Year’s Eve in Florence.

*** The picture was took by me at the San Lorenzo Church, right yesterday evening

Here the hamburgers are made with the special “chianina” meat of an excellent quality, organic, genuine and fresh, directly from the “Farmhouse La Fratta” located  in the Chianti landscape.

The menu offers various hamburgers type, all of them always served with vegetables and chips, typical home-made hamburger bread, sauces. All of them served on a plate, not in the standard hamburger style.  BUT: not hamburgers only! Roast-beef, tartare, good italian pasta and excellent soups with organic ingredients.  Cheese and salami from best Tuscan producers. Seasonal generous salads. Don’t miss the cakes, we took the apple-pie with cream and cinnamom which was delicious!

You can have your wine by glass, or an entire bottle. Friendly service, the staff is very polite. Price range for dinner:  20,00/35,00 euros per person all inclusive.

Location: on the river, very romantic! Cross the Ponte Vecchio Old Bridge and take left. Go straight for 50-60 meters and you will find Lungarno23; it’s between Ponte Vecchio and Ponte alle Grazie bridges, about 20-30 min. walk from our bed and breakfast.  My personal tip: a romantic walk on the Lungarni, watching the river and Florence by night, waiting for a peaceful night in your charming room at Mr My Resort Inn.

As a Tea Room, here you can find the best Moroccan selections of typical tea from the large menu, together with typical biscuits and home-made cakes, some in Moroccan style, others more italian. Here it is possible to have a light lunch with a vegetarian cous-cous or a good panino, or come in the afternoon to read a newspaper and sip a home-made fruit-juice, or a tea with fresh ingredients and special aromas (try the Risveglio a Marrakech, or Notti d’Arabia, or just the simple tea with fresh mint). The late afternoon this is a good place for aperitivs, too.

But as I told you, this is not only a Tea Room. The proprietor, Sofia, is a young sweet girl who creates jewels in Moroccan style in her laboratory located in a part of the “Derb”; you can see her working at rings or hear-rings while you’re sit at the table with your drink.

In addiction, she imports directly from Morocco some typical hand-crafts products: hand-made covers in colored silk, silk pillows, moroccan slippers in leather, and the famous “tagine”, that they use to prepare the cous cous but that one’s can use and a standard plateau to serve food on table.  Colored glasses decorated with silver, warm colored dishes hand-decorated.

Do you want to discover the true secret of the Moroccan girls beauty? Here is it: the Argan Oil. This prodigious, completely natural element, is considered as a must by all the arabian ladies, and it is actually used in most of recent beauty treatments for hair, body and face. You can find it at “Derb”, pure 100% and bio, at a very reasonable price! Don’t miss it! You can use the Argan Oil after our Body Space experience at MR My Resort…

DERB, Via Faenza 21/R

(open daily 11.30am – 7.30pm. Closed on Sunday)

It’s a small shop, but this year they open a new spot in the same street where you can find panettone and pandoro cakes, together with chocolates and chocolate creams. I saw a great panettone covered with hazelnuts and dark chocolate and I decided this had to be the “special cake” for our family Christmas lunch 2009/2010 (together with mom’s cake, of course…)

The main shop offers ice creams, chocolates and the hot chocolate: classic dark, with peperoncino, milk chocolate. They do not have seats and give you a glass to take away, and the place is one of Florentines most favourite. Don’t miss the gelato in summer!!!

You can also like:

• Coccole Cioccolata
• Rivorire
• Arte del Cioccolato Catinari

 

Together with high quality chocolates dark, white, spicy, etc. they have a great gelato chocolate and a superb hot chocolate.
Roberto Catinari is one of the 4 most important maitre chocolatier in the world, and you can’t miss this gorgeous experience in the heart of Florence historic center… Outside the shop there are seats and a selection of newspapers and books about fashion and food; a nice flower arrangements and candles create a surprisingly place of peace ideal for a sweet break before to back home at Mr My Resort B&B.

  ARTE DEL CIOCCOLATO, CATINARI
Via di Porta Rossa
www.robertocatinari.it
(the main shop is outside the city center)

• Also see: Rivoire and Coccole Cioccolato

Aperitivo: calice di Prosecco
Prosecco aperitif
Antipasto – Appetizer
Carpaccio di Branzino con vinaigrette al pepe rosa
Branzino fish with a vinaigrette in pink pepper
Millefoglie di verdure grigliate con provola piccante e prosciutto toscano
Millefoglie of grilled vegetables with provola cheese andTtuscan prosciutto
Primo – First courses
Crespelle all’astice
Crespelle pasta with mediterranean lobster
Risotto agli agrumi
Rice with citruses sauce
Secondo – Main courses
Grigliata mista di pesce con cruditè di verdure
Mixed grilled fish with vegetables crudité
Tagliata di Manzo cotta al carbone con radicchio rosso arrosto e fonduta di pecorino
Tagliata beef with red roasted salad and pecorino cheese foundue
Lenticchie al tegame
Lenticchie (small black beans) in the pot
Dessert
Dolci della casa a scelta
Your choice of home made cakes
Uva fresca
Raisin
Vini rossi e bianchi
Red and white wines

Vino Spumante Brut o Moscato d’Asti per festeggiare l’Anno Nuovo
Sparkling wine Brut or sweet Moscato D’Asti
Caffè e digestivi
Coffee and liqueur

OSTERIA DA GIOVANNI
Via del Moro,
Tel. +39 055 284879

You must see also other suggestions here

See also our advices about Where to eat in Florence on New Year’s Eve part 1 and part 2!

Here is a good place to eat in the Santa Croce area, about 20 minutes walk from the bed and breakfast Mr My Resort, in Florence historic center.

The name is Osteria del Caffé Italiano, and the ambiance is an elegant Tuscan-old-style. This is also a good place to eat a gret bistecca or excellent salami and italian cheese.

New Year’s Eve Dinner Menu

Passatelli in brodo di cappone e pioppini
Capon and mushroom broth with traditional passatelli pasta
made with Parmigiano cheese

Inzimino di Moscardini e patate
Stewed baby octopus and potatoes

Tortelli ripieni di ceci con ragù d’anatra
Tortelli stuffed with chickpeas, duck ragout

Sformato di Zucca con salsa di cavolo nero e pecorino di Pienza
Pumpking flan with black cabbage and Pecorino cheese

Filetto di manzo al Brunello di Montalcino con le cime di rapa
Beef fillet with Brunello di Montalcino sauce and stewed turnip

Zampone e lenticchie del buon augurio
Traditional “zampone” pork leg and lentils

Piccola pasticceria
Dolce delizia dell’ultimo dell’anno
Our special New Year’s eve cake and “petit fours”

Euros 100,00 per person

1. OSTERIA PEPO’: what to say about this place? We have already talk about it, and it is a good trattoria where to eat Tuscan food (try the bistecca, served on a hot place) and choose your courses directly from the menu. Romantic and casual.

2. OSTERIA I TOZZO DI PANE: a nice place, as we already wrote not too much time ago. Not expensive, good tuscan food. Wine by glass still available on the 12/31 menu. Casual and not caotic. Jazz music. Ask for a table far from the main entrace.

I will give you other advices asap, most part of restaurants are still organising their New Year’s Eve Dinner…

Also see: Ristorante alle Murate New Year’s Eve Dinner and New Year’s Eve dinner part 3!

Some restaurants will have a Special Dinner Menu, others will serve their Standard Menu, but will be open late night.

1.  RISTORANTE ALLE MURATE: this is a very special place. Chic but not too formal, it’s one of the best restaurants of high-level in Florence city. The interiors are elegant, with ancient original frescoes and modern design. Excellent food and wine list, this is not a place for expensive tourists: florentines gourmet know Alle Murate as a restaurant where Tuscan tradition meets the South of Italy, and where prices are strictly connected with the true high quality of food. We can talk about that since as you know, we are used to eat here.

Here is the ALLE MURATE  NEW YEAR’S EVE MENU, euros 160,00 per person.

 Welcome aperitif

Pickled salmon and  crunchy crackers with oregano

 Lettuce soup, cod fish cream and crispy sweet pepper 

Sicialian red prawns with burrata and chive 

Hand made tortelli stuffed with sea-bass, sea-bass and cherry tomatoes sauce 

Sword-fish and foie gras, broccoli cream 

The lamb from Casentino country: baked leg, fried chop and braised shoulder.

 Certaldo sweet red onions and traditional artichoke flan 

Chocolate and raspberry mousse, cinnamon wafers and cream

 Coffee and petits fours

 160,00 euro per person

(a spumante wine bottle included for midnight toast)

Alle Murate,
Via del Proconsolo, 16 R
Reservations: silvia@allemurate.it or +39 055 240 618

See also Our best advices for restaurants in Florence New Year’s Eve Dinner part 2 and part 3!