Almond biscotti baked twice for a hard crunch, dipped in a small glass of Tuscan dessert wine called Vin Santo: the canonical end-of-meal Florentine ritual for over 400 years.
Cantucci trace to medieval Prato, 20km north-west of Florence, where the Mattei pastry shop has baked the canonical cantucci di Prato since 1858. The almond-and-egg dough is shaped into a long log, baked once, sliced into 1cm strips and baked again to dehydrate, producing the hard biscuit that survives the dip in Vin Santo. Vin Santo means 'holy wine'; it was originally a Tuscan dessert wine fermented in small barrels in attics for at least 3 years.
4 editor picks for Cantucci e Vin Santo in Florence, ranked by editorial score. All Florence signature dishes · Cantucci e Vin Santo across every city.
Caffe Gilli ★ 4.4
centro-storico · Via Roma 1r, 50123 Firenze
Caffe Gilli in Florence's Piazza della Repubblica is the city's oldest cafe, opened in 1733, with the same marble counter and the original Belle Epoque painted ceiling intact.
Cantinetta Antinori ★ 4.3
santa-maria-novella · Piazza Antinori 3, 50123 Firenze
Cantinetta Antinori in Florence's Palazzo Antinori is the wine-bar-and-trattoria for the 26-generation Antinori wine family, with a 150-bottle list focused on Marchesi Antinori estate Tuscan reds.
Cantinetta da Verrazzano ★ 4.3
centro-storico · Via dei Tavolini 18r, 50122 Firenze
Cantinetta da Verrazzano in Florence's Via dei Tavolini is the bakery-and-wine-bar of the Castello da Verrazzano estate, with a wood-fired oven baking schiacciata and focaccia, served with estate Chianti.
Pasticceria Buonamici ★ 4.2
santa-maria-novella · Via dei Banchi 39r, 50123 Firenze
Pasticceria Buonamici in Florence's Santa Maria Novella has run a family-owned pasticceria since 1971, with the daily cantucci, the schiacciata con l'uva in September and a Vin Santo bottle for pairing.