The Best Cafes in Florence to Start Your Day Like a Real Florentine
The Voyage Co.
I was born in Florence, so I know how a real Florentine starts the day. It is not with a smartphone and a hurry. It is with coffee, with quality, with ritual. Let me show you where I take my breakfast.
Massimo was born in Florence and works as a walking companion, driver, and sommelier graduate. He studies his region every day to know it better.
1. Gilli Cafe: The Middle of the Historic Centre
Piazza della Repubblica
In the middle of the historic centre, this is the true Florentine cafe atmosphere. When I come here in the morning, I am part of the Florence routine, not the visitor experience. The food is typical, the pastry is very good.
The espresso is pulled with attention, not by a machine on autopilot. You can taste the difference. The barman knows me, knows what I want. This is the relationship of real cafe culture.
2. Giubbe Rosse: Culture and Real Espresso
Piazza della Repubblica
Another historic and typical cafe. There is more culture here than just coffee. They serve real espresso and real food. The literary events and the history of this place make it important.
When I recommend a cafe to visitors, I always include Giubbe Rosse, because here you taste what a Florence cafe is about: tradition, quality, culture, all together.
3. Scudieri: The Pastry Shop Excellence
In Front of the Cathedral
A very good pastry shop in front of the cathedral. The cornetto is exceptional, the quality is high. When I want the best pastry in Florence, I go here. The butter is real, the flour is quality, you taste the difference.
The location is perfect: you take your breakfast with the Duomo in front of you. That is a Florence morning done right.
4. Caffè Museo degli Innocenti: View and Wine
Florence
Enjoy the view of Florence while you drink coffee or a glass of wine. This cafe is less crowded than the central ones, but the quality is equal. The view makes the experience special.
I bring people here when I want them to see Florence in the quiet moment, not the crowded moment.
Florence rewards a slow morning. Skip the queue at the Uffizi, skip the buffet at the hotel, walk into Gilli at 8 a.m., and you'll already understand more about how Florentines live than most travellers will see all week.
