Last night we went to a great restaurant which even though is outside of the historical center of Florence, it has started to attract the tourist crowd. I think it must be written up in a few tourist guides. The restaurant is called Alla Vecchia Bettola which roughly translated means The old run-down house. It is anything but this and actually offers some of the most authentic Florentine and Tuscan dishes.

 

You can see by the menu what was on offer (menu changes daily and seasonally) and the prices of each dish. You can order the house Chianti red wine by the glass, half litre carafe, full litre carafe or the whole bottle. Don’t worry if you don’t finish the bottle though! You will only be charged for what you have consumed.

Here is what we ordered last night :

Antipasto
Crostini Fiorentini con Prosciutto e Finocchiona
Porcini Funghi e Funghi del bosco sott’olio
Salame e Fichi
Fiori Fritti – Fried Zucchini Flowers

Secondi Piatti
Insalata di Trippa (yes that’s Tripe salad in case you were wondering)
Crocchette al Limone – these looked pretty boring but the flavour of the meat and lemon was amazing!

Dolce
Torte di Mela

And then we finished off our meal with Vin Santo e Cantuccini (also known as biscotti di Prato) This is another Tuscan tradition and I plan on adding the recipe for these biscuits very soon. The almond biscuits are dipped into the sweet wine before eating and I must say, this is one of my favourite ways to finish a meal…………. (or enjoy in front of a good movie after dinner – it’s just difficult to know when to stop and put the lid on the cookie jar)!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The atmosphere is loud and family friendly – you actually feel like you are sitting in someone’s kitchen. The staff are incredibly friendly and always make us feel like old friends.
The walls are decorated with old black and white images of Florence as she once was. Sitting at ‘The Vecchia Bettola’ helps to bring this history to life.