Nino and friends is my happy place. I purposely came back to Florence only to purchase candy and cellos from the store. It is such a joy to shop there. The store had wall to wall goodies. Goodies that you get to taste. As soon as you enter there are staff members offering all kinds delicious treats filled with tasty goodness. They have coconut balls with lemon cream inside, green covered chocolates with limoncello inside, they have salted caramel with chocolate, Cappuccino cookies with coffee flavor cream inside, they have limoncello, melon cello, and my favorite peach cello to drink. I bought a lot to take back home, but also I just enjoyed the samples they kept offering me...MY HAPPY PLACE, especially after many Dixie cups of cello sampling. They are still trying to get there online ordering up and working. I tried for the past year to order on line. One great service they offer is mailing your purchase back to your home. The cost is really reasonable too. I mailed a large order back home for 55 Euros. I have mailed a box from California to Boston and it costed me more. read more

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I'm a chocoholic. When a chocoholic sees a chocolate wheel in the window, what happens? I stopped in the store. I was immediately offered hazelnut chocolate by a very friendly lady. Followed by a delicious, soft, crumbly cookie by a friendly young man. The sweets were amazing in and of themselves, but I also sampled varying forms of pesto. I ended up getting pesto with truffle oil for my sister and pistachio pesto for myself after having sampled them with gnocchi. The samples, staff, and shop itself are amazing. read more

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I am having to look back online to remind myself of which Italian place we ate at for which day / meal. I see that this Florentine place is actually part of a small chain in the area. We found it when looking for a lunch spot near the Duomo. It was well regarded online. This establishment is an amalgam of businesses - a coffee shop, a small bakery / pizzeria, a mini grocery and wine shop, and a sit down restaurant (that was in the back or upstairs, and which opened at some point after we'd arrived and eaten). We ate from the bakery / pizzeria place. A bit of background - this was about a week into our trip. At this point (traveling for 7 days), my reserve of goodwill is usually running low. I just wanted a decent, relatively quick meal. I initially thought about rating this a '3' due to my own frustration, but in retrospect I'll assume that it was more on me than them. I was still looking over options when my wife made her choices and proceeded to pay. All I saw was that she got some sort of paper card from the pizza area and went back up towards the coffee shop to pay. I wasn't sure the paper was even involved. I went up to the same cashier and requested to pay for a slice of pizza. She motioned me back to the bakery. I went back, but the baker lady motioned me back up to the cashier... I picked up one of the pieces of paper and presented it (not understanding why). I was then directed back to the bakery. I ran out of patience and just gave up. I had decided to skip lunch entirely, out of pure spite. I was challenged on this point and convinced it would be easier to eat than argue. So, I went back to the bakery. The baker lady then got involved and actually scribbled something on the paper, which I then took to the cashier. I was thus able to pay for the slice of pizza, which I then obtained from the baker lady (after she heated it). This isn't the most efficient process, but it is at least understandable in retrospect. The pizza itself is a thick, bready yet airy crust topped by tomato sauce and whatever ingredients you chose. It was pretty tasty, actually. I wasn't in the best mood to appreciate dining at that point. I think I'd have enjoyed this much more if I'd understood how ordering worked from the outset. And again, I think part of my exasperation was just being confused by this scenario after seven days of travel. It might have been easier to take on day 1 or 2. If you are hungry and want a light but tasty meal near the Duomo, this isn't a bad choice. read more

Pushy sales, overpriced. I tried to cancel my order and had to jump through hoops to get it taken off.

In Siena for a few days and found this beautiful shop. My husband and I enjoyed the ability to taste so many of their products, what a treat that was. Knowledgeable staff, very friendly and helpful. We were not heading home to the states for a couple of weeks but wanted to ship many of their products. For a reasonable fee the shop sent our purchases so they would arrive shortly after we returned home. So excited to have received them in excellent condition, just as promised. Thank you to everyone at Nino and Friends who made it possible for us to enjoy wonderful memories of Siena and to share the products with friends. Many of the items will be holiday gifts and I know they will be a highlight! read more

Such a beautiful shop. Staff is so friendly and will attend all your needs. The pesto was AMAZING and I will be taking some home with me.

Love all the yummy snacks. Great shop for gifts! Staff is really informed and helpful.

By far one of the best parts of this trip. We were walking by and we were immediately drawn in by the welcoming workers and amazing smells. They pull you in by offering a multitude of samples. Each sample was better than the next. We ending up buying many treats. My personal favorite the lemon cookies. The worst thing I could possibly say about this shop, is that I spent to much! Ha! Will definitely be coming back in the future. read more