Travel eats: 5 places to eat in Florence, Italy

You might find yourself overwhelmed when in Florence given the plethora of trattorias and gelaterias. I was lucky because I stayed in Friends Hostel, where the owner Nandini gave us a map with all the good food places mapped out so we could avoid tourist traps. Even though I only stayed 3 days in Florence, it was good enough! I loved walking around the small streets in this little town that's famous for its leather, and Gucci/Ferragamo. Everywhere you go you could smell the leather - it's quite intoxicating, though I was kind of suspect at those "Made in Italy" leather bags at the market places because someone told me they are all stamped in China with those, haha. Here are 5 places for eating which you should not miss out!

1. Gusta Pizza
For wood-fired thin crust pizzas, Gusta is a must go. It's 5 euros not for 1 slice, but an entire pizza so choose your flavours well!

2. 'INO
They do paninis, and they do it well. Situated just next to the bridge, INO has been covered by many publications



3. Gelato Santa Trinita
While at the bridge, try the original gelato flavour by the creator of gelato, the mascarpone. Note that you should only go to geletarias that say 'artisanale' which means they make it by hand at the kitchen behind and not bring it in from some central kitchen or factory! This was a tip by our free walking tour guide.



4. Il Brincello
18 euros for a double portion olive chili pasta, but it was so damn good we decided to have ANOTHER portion of it and managed to finish 3/4 of it. Probably the craziest meal I've had in Europe. There's just something about really good delicious pasta that makes me want to inhale loads of. It's also a very family-style type place, which I love.

5. Il re gelato
The best place to try arancinis, breaded risotto rice balls with ragu stuffings inside. They were so mindblowing me and my travel buddy wanted to have one more, but we needed to save space for pizzas! Their gelatos also looked pretty good, and they do 5 euro cocktails at night that comes with free snacks. For the best value this is the place to go.