On vacation in Florence and wanted to bring home traditional aged balsamic. Found this shop and…read morethe owner lady was so nice and helpful. The store is actually just across the street from the original location on map. Yelp has the address of the old location. But can't miss it, still there but on opposite side of street. And instead of Borgovino it's now Borgo. We found what we were looking for and the real traditional balsamic that has to come in the circular round bottles or it's not the real stuff. Price was very good from comparing it to another restaurant that sold balsamic near the cathedral and also a shop in Mercato Centrale.

The owner is so nice and the wine is reasonably priced. He really knows a lot about wine, oil and…read morebalsamic. He let us sample a few things as well.

Hand-crafted pasta since 1912, the owner Giuseppe has been in the family business since 1950, is…read moreextremely friendly and informative, and made us feel welcome for our free, private tour. During World War II, the Nazis took over the building, a villa, making it their headquarters in 1944. The family had to walk for two days to Florence while the Germans occupied their home. Once the Nazis fled from Allied Forces, they returned home and were the first pastificio (pasta factory) of 36 in Pistoia to resume operations after the war. They are the only remaining pastificio of the original 36. The factory has been somewhat automated since 1950, but many of the pastas are still handmade. They have numerous varieties of pasta, including their signature brands, made with only Tuscan flour from the Pisa area. They recently unveiled a pasta in the shape of Pinocchio characters called "Le Bugie" ("the lies"), the result of a scholarship competition in the local schools. The factory employs only six people, but they produce a wide variety of pastas using old family recipes and processes. The small river behind the factory once spun the turbines beneath the building which allowed them to resume operations so quickly after the war. Special drying units maintain constant temperatures between 32 and 35 degrees Celsius (90-95 Fahrenheit) , ensuring that the pasta does not break, reducing waste, and resulting in quality products. Pastas take from 24 hours to six days to dry depending on the shape. The bronze pasta forms used to give the pastas their various shapes result in a special consistency not found in mass produced brands (De Cecco, Barilla). Their pastas take much less time to cook because the pasta from the brass forms allow the boiling water to saturate the pasta instead of cooking it from the outside. The water they are boiled in also has much more starch then that of the mass produced brands, allowing the water to be used to thicken sauces before serving. The valley in which the villa sits is quiet, green, lush, and much cooler than smoldering Florence, so it was a breath of fresh air, literally, after a month in 100 degree Florence and its wall-to-wall tourists. Giuseppe is working on adding a small gift shop and cafe, culinary demonstrations, and possibly pasta making and cooking classes in the near future, but in the meantime a tour of their operation is a must if visiting Tuscany and tell him CombatCritic sent you! CombatCritic Gives Pastaficio Chelucci Tour The Coveted 10 Bombs Out Of 10 ... IT'S THE BOMB ... More Bombs Are Better!

From the owner: Production of hand-crafted pasta utilising bronze forms as has been done for over one hundred…read moreyears. Our facility has been in the family since 1912 and was confiscated by the Germans during World War II, serving as their headquarters in 1944. We were the first of 37 pasta factories in Pistoia to reopen after the war and are the only remaining open to this day. We offer tours of our facility by appointment.

Did you ever have one of this moments: wandering around searching for the right place to have…read morelunch, coffee or anything to eat and you just couldn't find anything that suits your needs and then, baaaaaam, you ind the perfect spot! Beautiful, one of this special places where you can just let it go and relax in the middle of the city! This is what happened to me here! L'orto is a flower shop that meets an American restaurant and you can see and smell it everywhere: the music, 60s style, plants everywhere, inside and outside. But it get's even better when you go inside: everything looks like if an old factory would have been restructured by a gardener: industrial style with lots of copper in combination with flowers. All that coming with daily changing plates fulfilling all wishes from pasta to cow! By the way, the coffee is superb!!! I wanna live here!!!!

This place has become one of my favorite spots in Empoli. It…read morehas been opened where once there was a florist, hand it has kept the style and many of the plants too. Still the florist exists, in a very very tiny booth in the restaurant's frontyard. The Chef, a very friendly and passionate Lady, cooks like at home but with a fancy touch. Portions are generous and everything is from very good to delicious! The great thing is that it is open 7/7 and from breakfast to dinner, also serving brunch from 10 am on, with a choice of cakes, eggs in different ways, etc... It is also a nice place to go with a friend for an afternoon tea, or with a colleague for a brainstorm coffee. I love to go there with my girlfriends for lunch, a looong lunch :) And it's nice for an aperitif too, they also make the classic cocktails and serve wines too (of course!) that you can have maybe with some crostini or cold cuts or cheeses. But the atmosphere, with that old country style and flowers and plans, is what you will like the most as it is not typical but makes it perfect for every occasion. PS. Don't miss to visit the restrooms... unique.

In our week visiting hill towns in Umbria and Tuscany, this restaurant stood out and served what we…read moreconsider in retrospect to be our favorite dinners in the province. Originally we came at the recommendation by the people at our villa, Il Borghese. But it became a consensus winner when it came to our choice for a repeat restaurant. Just off the main street in San Gimignano on a quiet side road, it tends to be a destination restaurant which draws its customers from recommendations and repeats. It didn't show up in the several published guides we were using, but it is clearly an important omission. Among our favorites were the braised wild boar, the chicken with porcini, wild boar with pici (a thick spaghetti pasta) and, most significantly, the gorgonzola souffle. They also had one of the nicest inexpensive red wines from the local area that we came across: the Il Priore was Euro 16 at the restaurant. We liked it so much we found it at the nearby wine store and took two bottles home with us (Euro 10 per bottle at the store). Certainly in San Gimignano, I would make as my first choice, this lovely restaurant.

It is hard to choose the right place to eat sometimes, but don't be put of by the non-descript…read moreentry as once you get inside there is definitely a wow factor. We ate in lots of restaurants in our 2 week visit to Italy and this was by far my favourite. Intimate dining area, magnificent food and staff that go out of their way to make you feel welcome. The place had an eclectic crowd, couples on romantic dates, local families just enjoying a meal together and friends just hanging out. Well worth a visit, it won't disappoint.

Fun local restaurant in the heart of Florence!! Lovely…read moreladies that own/ manage this place! Great food, loved the Ambiance!

I was in Lucca and stopped here for dinner. The reviews were good and the menu online showed more…read morefish being offered I thought they would have more seafood, but being in Tuscany, I realized that most places don't. That's OK. The inside was very homey and nice. The owners, I believe are a husband and wife team who are helpful. Salmon carpaccio was an appetizer special - it was excellent Swordfish for the main was a mistake. Should have stuck with a pasta. This fish looked like it was frozen and it's was fair, nothing special. Tiramisu for dessert was so good. totally made up for the swordfish. It was made fresh that day and you could tell. This and the service raised the rating from to 4.

This is a cheese and balsamic store along the smaller streets downtown. I was amazed how the taste…read moreand consistency of cheese changes over the months. The balsamic vinegar is also aged for years, similar to wine. The difference in taste is remarkable, and the differences in cost is measureable.

Food was amazing but it was a bit warm in the building and be prepared to wait in line.read more

Wonderful little shop near Porta Romana specializing in fresh pasta made by hand. Many shapes and…read moretypes to choose from and amazing fillings for the ravioli, tortellini, etc. They even offer a few delicious homemade sauces to go with the pasta if you prefer not to make your own. They also carry top quality dried (as in store-bought) pasta, canned tomatoes, etc. All the best!

Great food, definitely worth trying. They don't have many Yelp reviews but turns out they have…read morequite a few on travel advisor. Anyways, we would return again if we are ever in Arezzo again.

What a delight. This is no ordinary restaurant-- it is a treasure for those who appreciate pasta…read moreand good cooking. All pasta is made in house, and the sauces that anoint them are tasty and generous. Besides the pastas there are antipasti such as smoked rare duck breast, extremely generous charcuterie boards and a nice selection of desserts. All are inexpensive and feature the best ingredients. They have an excellent list of wines by the glass and bottles (again, inexpensive) and an efficient and good natured staff. A warning - the portions are generous so it is easy to over order, which we all did. Please try this lovely place, which has a lot of invisible interior seating. If it appears full, that may be an illusion. Ask and you shall receive.

This experience is about the food -- authentic, fresh pasta and sauces following Italian recipes…read more Service is expedient, but you have to understand this is a takeout place -- pasta window service :) and the line can be very long. The ambiance is typical of a local food market. They're located on the first floor, not the touristic second floor built for tourists. We got scolded for taking our takeout to the second floor and were forced to buy drinks to sit at a table. Got it. I was impressed best fresh pasta for couple euros.

Definitely one of the most popular stalls in the market. Very straightforward where you choose…read more What kind of pasta you like between regular pasta, tortellini, ravioli, or gnocchi. Then you choose what kind of sauce you like and presto-chango it's ready in about 5 to 10 minutes. The biggest issue is waiting in line to order which can take anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes depending how long the line is. I found the pasta is very good, but the sauces were exceptional. We tried the ravioli with buffalo mozzarella and pesto Genovese, which is our favorite. The gnocchi was good maybe only four stars, but the Bolognese sauce was excellent as well.