THE CITY GUIDE: FLORENCE — The Contender

Florence is elegant and timeless, a city of churches and squares. It contains some of the world’s great civic architecture that still sets the standard for enlightened proportions. For all its grandeur it’s an intimate city, of narrow streets kept cool in the shadows of ancient walls. It’s full of small specialty stores that do a certain thing very well. There are wonderful pharmacies, tobacconists and stationers, not to mention tailors, renowned and obscure. You can get dried porcini mushrooms at the Mercato Centrale or vintage Persols one block away—that’s a pretty good equation. Yes, the tourism can be intense, but it’s possible to reverse engineer your itinerary and try to avoid the masses. If the Uffizi is packed then visit Santa Croce, with its Giottos and stately cloister. Florence serves its remarkable history in public and private, an enduring gift to travelers.

Here are some favorite places in a favorite city. Look for additions in the future as we build out a complete City Guide for Florence.

Enlightened Setting: The Cloister at Santa Croce.

La Mescita. Right off the Via dei Servi is this simple and delightful wine bar. As straightforward as you can get—a counter, a handful of tables and white tiles on the wall. A few euros for a glass of wine and you’re loving Florence. Around the corner from the Piazza Annunziata, designed by Brunelleschi, one of the greatest Renaissance squares ever built.

The legendary wall of fabrics at Liverano & Liverano.

Liverano & Liverano. An institution and a legend in its own time. The city’s greatest tailor makes a soft-shoulder and a slightly long jacket (for obsessives interested in such things). You don't have to step into the deep end and have a suit made, they carry lovely ties and shirts. It’s worth visiting to see the beautiful bolts of tweed stacked on display, you won’t find a better selection anywhere. If you’re on good behavior they might escort you back into the workshop where you’ll likely see the maestro himself at the first table, where he still cuts every day. A special place. Say hi to Taka!

Dexter. A modern store with smart workwear for men and women. It’s, dare I say it, well-curated. That phrase is used too often but it’s certainly the case here. There are great selections from East Harbor Surplus, one of the best labels going. Look for lovely shirts from Deperlu, an Italian company with a French name that makes shirts in India, that specializes in chambray, if you can keep all that straight. Marco, the owner, is helpful, smart and, naturally, stylish.

For cigars and leather cases, make it Castellana.

Castellana. Giovanni, who runs this small tobacconist specializing in pipes, has one of the great faces in the city. He’s so smiling and friendly and warm that it makes you want to stop in and say hello. He offers a handful of Cuban cigars and the very strong, cheap, Tuscan cigars that look like gnarled cheroots. These are broken in two and then, crucially, you just smoke half. I once got excited and smoked both halves and woke up the next day and felt like my mouth was full of ash. He also offers a very nice selection of leather cigar cases, hand-made in Italy.

Outsized Personality: Nivoli. All photos: DC.

Osteria Nivoli. A wine bar in the city center that’s good to know if you want a quick glass. Often crowded, but when it’s less intense it’s good in a no frills way. There are some tables in the basement but I’ve never gotten the courage to head down there.

Some More Florence Favorites:

-Farmacia SS Annunziata del 1561 A charming pharmacy with tiled floors and antique wood cabinets—a more discreet alternative to Santa Maria Novella. They carry their own line of products, with special attention to scents and face cream.

-Antica Münstermann. A century-old pharmacy and a destination for everything from toothbrushes to razors. Old fashioned in the best sense, they have their own wonderful line of products, with a lovely black and white design, including face cream, hand soap and talcum powder.

-Aqua Flor. An attractive and theatrical store that’s set in a series of large rooms beneath dramatic lights and antique wooden fixtures. This is the destination for famous soap, diffusers and perfume. Hand lotion made with tomato leaves? You better believe it. Everything is wrapped beautifully if you’re buying gifts.

-Pegna. The Via dello Studio intersects with the south side of the Duomo and is filled with a series of lovely shops. The first is Pegna, one of the great food specialty stores. It’s downright historic—it’s been in this palace setting since 1860—and worth visiting just to see the slabs of ham, bottles of olive oil, wine and grappa and beautiful packages of pasta. There’s more: cakes, coffee, chocolate, and everything from toothpaste to mints. A treasure.

-If you continue down the street you’ll find Zecchi, an amazing art supply store that makes their own oil sticks and has painters’ smocks that I’ve always found intriguing. Further down is Parione, a custom stationer that sells pens, small leather goods and handmade paper. Around the corner is the Paperback Exchange, an English bookstore.

-Hotel Cestelli. I used to stay here every year in a room that cost 65 euros and had a shared-bathroom. It’s a one-star hotel with a perfect location right off the Piazza Santa Trinita, one short block from the Arno. It’s on the second floor of a building, run by the Alessio and Assumi, a sweet couple. I imagine Air B&B has taken away a lot of their business, but sometimes it’s nice to have a hotel when you need your luggage kept or help navigating the city. The “suite” is 95 euros and has a private bath. It’s a lovely room. Think about it.

The Contender City Guides are an evolving collection of our favorite places worldwide.