The cold Tuscan bread salad of stale unsalted bread soaked in tomato water, tossed with ripe tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and basil, dressed with red-wine vinegar and Tuscan olive oil.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
Panzanella traces to the Tuscan peasant kitchen of the 14th century, when bread was the main calorie and never wasted; the writer Bronzino described an onion-bread salad in his 1554 'Cipolla' poem. The tomato did not enter the dish until the late 19th century, by which point the canonical mix (bread, tomato, onion, cucumber, basil) had settled. Pellegrino Artusi codified the modern recipe in his 1891 'La scienza in cucina'.
Tours, tastings and classes from the cities on this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.
Guided tour · 2 hours
Learn to make fresh pasta like the grandmothers of Italy during a class at a cooking school inside Florence's medieval tower. Learn every step of the...
2h 30m
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3 hours
Roll up your sleeves and discover the flavors of Naples by making authentic pizza and creamy tiramisù with a passionate local chef. Cook, laugh, eat,...
Guided tour · 2h 30m
Experience the flavors of Venice on a guided walking tour. Visit the Rialto Market, try tapas, such as "cicchetti," and admire historical highlights...
Common allergens: Gluten
Tip from the editors. Tuscan bread is unsalted; salted bread breaks down too fast. Pane sciapo from a Tuscan forno is correct.
Trattoria La Casalinga off Piazza Santo Spirito is the 1963 family cucina povera room with ribollita and trippa for 10 euros, no concession to the centre.
Why locals goFamily-run cucina povera since 1963 just off Piazza Santo Spirito; ribollita and trippa for €10 a course, no concession to the centre's tourist circuit.
TipClosed Sunday; cash only. Lunch is calmer; dinner books up a week ahead.
Cibreo Trattoria in Florence's Sant'Ambrogio quarter is Fabio Picchi's no-pasta trattoria, the casual side of the Cibreo group. Located in Sant Ambrogio.
OrderPolpettine di pollo, pappa al pomodoro and the trippa alla fiorentina.
TipNo reservations and no pasta on the menu. Queue from 19:45 for the 20:00 first seating; lunch is the calmer service.
Trattoria Mario in Florence's San Lorenzo has run the working-class lunch counter since 1953 next to Mercato Centrale, with a daily pasta carte at €8 a primo.
OrderRibollita, pappardelle al cinghiale, a glass of house Chianti for €3.
TipQueue from 12:00; lunch-only Mon-Sat. Cash only. Closed all of August.
Trattoria da Burde in Florence: italian room. Bus 35 to a 1901 trattoria the working quarter still treats as its own; Friday-night bistecca.
Why locals goBus 35 to a 1901 trattoria the working quarter still treats as its own; Friday-night bistecca dinner is the seating locals book three weeks ahead.
TipLunch Mon-Sat; dinner Friday only. Book three weeks ahead for Friday.
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