Local meats, cheese and fresh veggies stuffed into salty, crunchy bread make panini a perfect choice. A great panino will be made with fresh bread and filled with just a few choice ingredients, but if you’re craving additional ingredients just ask!

Stop in at one of our favorite cheapo paninerias where prices range from €2.50 to €5, take your sandwich to a piazza or park, and enjoy a delicious break from the museums and sights.

Budget tips for visiting Florence
• The 10 best cheap hotels in Florence
• 11 Simple ways to save on your trip to Italy

All’Antico Vinaio

Via dei Neri 65

For fast food Florence style, visit All’Antico Vinaio, a bustling local hangout not far from the Uffizi Gallery. This place is always packed, partly because it’s tiny, and partly because regular customers and tourists alike can’t get enough of their mouthwatering cured meats and homemade spreads. You can’t go wrong with a crusty bread roll stuffed with porchetta, or a traditional prosciutto and cheese. Not in the mood for meat? The flat bread with olive oil is delicious stuffed with tomatoes and mozzarella. Best sellers are ready-made, but the owners are happy to tailor make a sandwich for you. There’s also a help yourself wine bar if you have time for a more leisurely lunch.

Related: 5 ways to save on sightseeing in Florence

Focaccine Bondi

Via dell’Ariento, 85

It’s not surprising that Foccacine is known for its incredibly flavorful focaccia bread. Get it stuffed with anything you wish, or ask for suggestions from the expert sandwich makers. You might have to search for a bit to find this shop located behind the San Lorenzo market, but it’s worth the hunt! Sandwiches start at € 3 and change depending on your fillings. Seating is limited in the historic panineria, but service is fast and there’s room to stand, or you can take your panino to go.

I Fratellini

Via dei Cimatori, 38r
Website

This old-school sandwich shop (since 1875!) is so tiny it serves directly out onto the sidewalk. It’s also one of the best in the entire city—and even more important to our wallets—one of the cheapest. I Fratellini is very central, right between the Uffizi Gallery and the Duomo, but retains local clientele with its extensive menu, made to order service and incredibly low prices. The 20 sandwiches on the menu are about €2.50 each, and custom sandwiches can be made for around the same price. This hole-in-the-wall (literally) is also known for its large selections of wines by the glass, so take advantage of their generous pours. For a fresh, fast lunch with a local touch, make a pit stop at I Fratellini.

Related: Simple strategies for saving on dining in Florence

Scheggi Panineria

Viale dei Mille, 1
Website

If you happen to find yourself near Stadio Artemio Franchi, the soccer stadium in the Le Cure neighborhood, then don’t leave without stopping at this paninoteca. Scheggi has been known for whipping up an array of delicious panini since 1952. The schiacciata flatbread is just soft enough, with the perfect dusting of olive oil and salt. Sauces are made in-house and named after Fiorentina players, as the owners are big soccer fans. Scheggi has every type of meat and cheese you can imagine, and plenty of veggies too. As all sandwiches are made on the spot, you can get creative with your combinations. A must if you’re headed to a soccer match, but worth the trip for anyone visiting Florence.

Salumeria Verdi (Pino’s)

Via Giuseppe Verdi 36/R
Website

Pino and Antonella, the adorable and friendly couple running this sandwich shop, seem to always be in the kitchen and ready to serve you a fantastic panino. They love helping foreigners practice their Italian, and are happy to talk through the menu and ingredients with you.

For around €3.50 you’ll get a panino stuffed to the brim with grilled veggies and cured meats. The homemade sauces are fabulous—try the truffle if you’re a mushroom fan—and the bread is made fresh daily. For an authentic, cheap experience, don’t miss Pino’s.

The post Florence: 5 tasty panini shops under €5 appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Tips for finding good gelato

Gelato is one of Italy’s most famous exports, behind pizza and spaghetti, but you haven’t tasted anything until you’ve sampled the creamy, icy smooth, flavor-packed delight that is freshly made Italian gelato.

The key to choosing a good place to try gelato is to look for a few key characteristics. First, look for the phrase produzione propria, which means that the gelateria makes their own gelato from scratch. You’ll also often seen the English phrase “made on premises.” This guarantees fresh gelato made from fresh ingredients without any additives. Avoid any place with large mounds of decoratively displayed gelato. You never know how long that gelato has been sitting there!

It’s also not a bad rule to stick to gelaterias, which make only gelato, rather than buying it at a place that is also a bar or café.  And don’t forget keep an eye on the price! A medium cone should cost you between €2-2.50.

With these simple guidelines, you should have no trouble finding quality gelato to satisfy your sweet tooth. But just in case you don’t feel like running any risk of tasting any mediocre flavors, here are my personal favorites in Florence.

Perchè No
Via dei Tavolini, 19
Web site

This place is my favorite for many reasons. First of all, it’s one of the oldest gelaterias that I know of, founded in 1939 and extremely central, located right off of the main drag of Via Calzaiuoli. Aside from the quality of its gelato (made on the premises, of course), it also has good prices for the quantity that they give you.

Perchè No! uses all-natural ingredients, and it even offers a few soy options for vegan and lactose-intolerant gelato lovers. Don’t be afraid to try some of their less common offerings such as Fiordilatte con miele e sesame (Milk flavor with honey and sesame), Torta di Mele (Apple Pie) and Dolce di Latte (Dulce de Leche). Although tempting, the Green Tea flavor didn’t hit the spot for me!

Gelateria La Carraia
Piazza Nazario Sauro, 25

Cross over the Arno river on the Ponte La Carraia, and you’ll find yourself in front of another fantastic gelateria. Right on the corner after you cross the bridge, the Gelateria La Carraia treats your wallet well while keeping your stomach happy. Grab a cone of Ricotta e Pere (Pear and Ricotta) and head outside to munch away while enjoying the views of the river and of the Ponte Vecchio.

Gelateria de’ Neri
Via dei Neri, 20

Gelateria de’ Neri is another winner for its variety of flavors and the rich quality of the gelato. The prices are a little higher, but they’re not at all unreasonable. If you’re up for it, try the semifreddo, which is a mousse similar to gelato. The Millefoglie flavor of mousse comes with a large piece of puff pastry on top!

Finally, Gelateria dei Neri is open late—even in the winter—and it is a great place to stop on a walking tour, as it is located right between the Palazzo Vecchio and Santa Croce.

Vivoli
Via Isola delle Stinche, 7
Web site

Founded in 1930, Vivoli deserves a mention for being Florence’s most famous gelateria. While the quality of the gelato is good, the prices are quite high and the shop is quite dark and dingy. Make sure to pay at the register first, then bring your receipt to the counter to get your treat.

The best flavors here are the more traditional ones, such as pistachio and chocolate. Vivoli is near Santa Croce—but check your map, as the roads in this area are quite twisty and confusing!

The post Where to find the best gelato in Florence appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Here are our favorite sandwich shops in Florence, with their respective specialties:

I Fratellini
Via dei Cimatori, 38r (near Piazza Signoria)
Web site

Everyone seems to knows this little stand situated in the heart of Florence. The cheerful guys stuffed behind the counter make small round sandwiches (€2.50 each) at the speed of light. Choose from a long list of options; my favorites are the prosciutto, goat cheese and rucola and well, anything with sundried tomatoes or “finocchiona,” a salami made with fennel.

Don’t forget to order a “bicchiere” of the house wine for only €1. You can rest it on the shelves hanging on the wall while you eat. I Fratellini is a strictly street food place, so be prepared to eat standing (or eat outside if the weather is nice).

Oil Shoppe
Via Sant’Egidio, 22r

This sandwich shop is actually not well known to most Florentines. It is especially popular with Americans, and plenty of students stop by to fill up during their breaks. Don’t let the foreign atmosphere or the long line deter you: This is one of the best places to get your money’s worth.

For €5 at lunchtime, you can buy a large sandwich (think foot-long) filled with layers and layers of goodies, plus a serving of garlic fries and a bottle of water. Trust me, every American I know loves it and every Italian I’ve ever brought here has been amazed to discover it.

Pugi
Piazza San Marco
Web site

Another Florentine specialty, and my personal favorite, is “schiacciata.” Schiacciata is a light, fluffy salty flatbread, similar to the more common focaccia. Pugi is the home to some of Florence’s best schiacciata, along with sandwiches and pizza made from this delicious dough.

This place is also packed around lunch, but it’s worth it to take a number, sneak a peak at the display case and pick out whatever your heart desires. Prices are based on weight, so buying pizza can be a bit more expensive once you add olives and sausage. However, Pugi is still a cheap spot for lunch

Bonus Tip: Lampredotto

A Florentine lunch tradition is the “lampredotto,” which is the fourth stomach of a cow boiled, seasoned and served on bread. To some this may not seem very appetizing, but there is a reason that this sandwich has been eaten for hundreds of years!

While you’ll find many lampredotto carts all over Florence, try the one in San Lorenzo, right across the street from the Central Market at the corner of Via Sant’Antonino. If you like it, you won’t ever stop wanting it; if you don’t, at least you have a good story to tell. And don’t forget, it’s cheap and quick.

The post Florence Cheap Eats: The 3 best panini shops in town appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.