Oh, Starbene... you will remain the stuff of dreams. This mighty little gluten free bakery was one…read moreof my favorite shops in all my Italian travels. They have a wide assortment of gluten free goodies -- from cookies to pies to savory bread-based delights. It's all priced quite fairly, too.
I came in around 6pm on a Friday, and the kind woman behind the counter advised me to come back in the morning because they had more things in the mornings. I was sincerely baffled and said-- wait, more?! To me, they had a ton of great options even at 6pm! Apparently the cases are packed full in the mornings and if you want your best pick of the lot, go then. But if you're like me and not able to do that for whatever reason, you'll still find plenty!
I can't have gluten or dairy. Sometimes it's hard to find dairy free goodies in a gluten free bakery. Not so with Starbene! They had cookies, pies and tarts as well as some bread-based savory items -- all clearly marked as without dairy. Grazie, Starbene!! Made my whole night!
I ended up getting some cookies (3 for 1€) -- they were almost like thumbprints, with blackberry jam filling and with chocolate hazelnut filling. So. Good. I also got an apricot jam tart (~3€, I think). It was also delicious! The apricot jam was just the right amount of sweet and the crust was perfectly flakey. Plus, there was a heart shape on top which was just the sweetest little detail. I also got a focaccina, which was kind of like a bread roll pizza without cheese or sauce. It was super good! I took it up to Piazzale Michelangelo and enjoyed it with a view of the city. Perfection!
My next visit to Florence, Starbene's will be a must do. No question about it. Gluten free friends, get yourselves over there and enjoy!