Imagine our excitement when we stopped in town to pick up some beer and wine for our fridge, and…read morestumbled into one of the highlights of our trip! We had been on the trek to Greve, and not purchased anything, nor had any great experiences. On the way back to our farmhouse (Antico Borgo San Lorenzo) we stopped in town to purchase some vino for our fridge. We walked in here, and were warmly greeted by Manuela. She insisted that we come sit at the rustic table, and try some wine with her. What an experience! Before we knew it, there were 5+ bottles open - plus olive oil, balsamics & bread. We were delighted as she guided us through local wines. It was a far better experience than we had found in Greve. After an hour we realized that locals were coming in & filling their own bottles with wine - something we had never seen. They have 2 reds, and 1 white on tap to "fill your own bottle" - for 1.5 euro a liter! You can purchase a bottle there, or fill your own. We immediately emptied all of our water bottles, and purchased straw covered chianti bottles to refill with house vino. The kids filled and corked bottles for the next 30 minutes. We left with: (3) 2 liter water bottles of their premium red, a giant chianti bottle of white, several bottles we enjoyed at their table, and the BEST balsamic we've ever tasted. But the biggest thing we left with was a smile. This place is the real deal, and worth a stop if you're in the Siena area. It's a fun little local find you'll want to treasure.

Delicious food, good wine and friendly service. Cozy little spot you might walk past but stop in!!!read more

We walked by this wine bar and store and decided to take a look inside. So much wine and liquor!…read moreIt's a cute store. We decided to take a break from walking and have a glass of wine. Wish we had more time to do their wine tasting. The man helping us with the wine was friendly and very nice. He was patient with us and helped us pick the wine to try. The two ladies at the entrance to the store weren't as friendly.

This was an off-the-beaten path/hidden gem that we stumbled upon when visiting Florence. My husband…read moreand I took the train in from the cruise port and ate an early breakfast on our ship. By the time we arrived and scoped out the Duomo, we were definitely ready for lunch. We were walking down the crowded cobblestone streets and decided that wanted a sandwich for lunch. We made a quick left turn and saw a line of people waiting. We weren't necessarily sure what they were waiting for until we inquired. Most people were waiting for sandwiches - SCORE! We decided to get in line and realized how quickly the line was moving. Traffic was being moved by their workers who were assisting with menu suggestions. We quickly got up to the front of the establishment and realized how tiny it is inside. It was so cool to see an actual Italian deli in action. From what I heard, they source their ingredients from local farmers, too! I ordered the La Rosa and my husband ordered the Gregorio (in honor of our friend Greg!). We waited outside for a few minutes while they prepared our order. The sandwiches were absolutely delicious and the bread was surprisingly crispy. The cost was super reasonable, too, for how much food you are getting. We will be back!

My husband and I joined the hype train and found I' Girone de' Ghiotti from a viral video of best…read moresandwiches in Florence. It was the first schiaccata spot we went to in Florence, and they set the bar really high. We arrived around 12pm on a Thursday. The line was out the door, but one of the employees managing the queue informed us that we were in a good spot. The line honestly moved quickly. We waited 15-20 minutes at most before placing our order. The restaurant has limited seating upstairs, but luckily we were able to snag a spot. I ordered one of their vegetarian specials, the 3 cheese blend with signature spicy sauce, and added turkey carpaccio. You can customize the sandwiches as you please. The sound of the crunch of the bread was the price of admission right there. The ingredients all tasted amazing, but the paper thin sliced turkey and spicy marinara really stood out to me the most. If I have to be really nitpicky, I did think that the bread doesn't have longevity. Could be that my sandwich was so saucy, which makes the bread soggy and gummy sooner than other other types.

From the owner: In the University zone of Bologna you'll find fine wines from all Italian Regions, including…read moreBarolo, Amarone and Brunello di Montalcino. Here you also can find French wines, sparkling wines including Franciacorta and Champagne, raisin wines, grappa and other spirits at a friendly price! Vini scelti da tutte le regioni d'Italia, vini francesi, bollicine, vini passiti, grappa e altri distillati al giusto prezzo! Consegne gratuite a Bologna e Casalecchio di Reno per importi superiori a 30 Euro.

This was an amazing tour and total experience! Our tour guide, representative, wine educator, etc…read morewas excellent! Her knowledge of the property, the amazing history, and wine was so very nicely portrayed in her excellent tour. The history here is stunning too. Wines were so very good that we bought a case to be shipped back home, to the states. Check on buying wine, as they price it with shipping. The property is gorgeous and historic! Highly recommend this particular winery to visit and tour when visiting the area!

I was so excited to visit Castello di Verrazzano and I'm disappointed that I did not have a…read morepositive experience. As a Black woman from the U.S., I faced poor customer service and discrimination. My tour guide, Tomaso, was rude and condescending. First, he ignored me and other people of color in my group by not speaking to us or even giving eye contact at the beginning of the tour. Second, Tomaso told me that I wasn't allowed to record videos as this was the owner's rule and he demanded that I delete any videos from my phone. I felt that he was singling me out and trying to embarrass me. This "policy" was not shared in writing or verbally in advance. Also, I've seen other guests post videos on social media, even days before my visit, which included Tomaso's face. The energy of the tour felt unwelcoming. During the tasting, no one followed up to ask how I was enjoying the wines or if I was interested in purchasing. It felt like the establishment didn't care about my business. Next, the staff said I could take photos with my wine in front of the amazing terrace view, then they refused. The castle shouldn't schedule tastings right before closing if guests will be pushed out. The only reason I didn't leave a one star review is due to a good experience with an outstanding staff member. Sole was very nice and offered me a ride to my car! She's the kind of employee who should be rewarded for going above and beyond and providing wonderful service to guests. Overall, the castle was beautiful, but the tour was dry with no enthusiasm and the service was lacking. Some staff seemed more concerned with showing attention to white guests and heading home than providing a memorable visit for everyone. I envisioned a once-in-a-lifetime experience that would leave me feeling enlightened, supported, and valued. Instead, I felt dismissed, excluded, and disrespected. I will return to Tuscany, but to a different winery that prides themselves on excellent service and fairness for all.

Gianni is the wonderful proprietor of this wine bar and helpful to non-…read moreItalian visitors. He recommended a nice Brunello Di Montalcino paired with local Tuscan cheeses, salami, prosciutto, dried tomatoes, bread and of course olive oil. He has many wines by the glass at super affordable prices and of course a deep selection of bottles. Can't go wrong here!

Looking for a really cute little place near San Lorenzo to snack on a yummy panino and a {really…read moregood} glass of wine? Then Casa del Vino is the place you want to be. I can't believe I have lived here this long and have never been...until now! Finding it can be a bit of a challenge due to it's umbiguous location amongsnt the market traffic in San Lorenzo but once you find it - you pretty much feel like you've discovered a pot of gold. Well at leats, if you are a hungry wino like me. Very small inside, not much space to sit but pick what kind of bread you want and get that panino made. I got one filled with sun-dried tomatoes, burrata (heaven) and prosciutto. Their wine selection is very decent and I got a lambrusco secco which was heaven in a world where normally Lambrusco sucks. Total price for my panino and wine? 7 euros. Which for Italian 'fast slow food' is a bit high but it was so good, I didn't even think about it. So when you are in the center searching for THAT tiny place with great wine and good crostini & panini - head over to Casa del Vino and trust me.. try that burrata..

Came to this spot to do a wine tasting however they couldn't take us the same day. We were just…read morelooking to try some wines of the area to make the right purchases. We ended up staying outside for drinks but the wine selection was limited. We liked the Rosso they had and got a bottle to drink there. We enjoyed ourselves sitting outside people watching and letting our feet rest.

This cafe in Siena is located on one of its twisty, inclined streets near Piazza del Duomo. There…read moreare three separate doorways; one seems to be for food, one for booze, and one for coffee and pastries. The coffee door is imprinted with "KAFA Forest Coffee". We were walking along and just wanted a coffee to sip as we sat and relaxed on their covered patio. It's a great place to people watch. I went inside and ordered 2 Americanos at the counter. The helpful barista understood my English perfectly and my cups of espresso were ready quickly to take out to the patio. The coffees were bold and strong; quite enjoyable. We sat for ten minutes or so until another customer sat at the table next to us and lit up a cigarette, smoke blowing in our faces (unintentionally). Smoking on a restaurant patio is fine in Italy. They also serve pastries, small sandwiches, and gelato.