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.

Whatever you think, panini make a very affordable lunch. There are several great places around town where you can grab one while walking between the sights.

First, let’s address some basic concerns–how to order?

Which kind of bread?

When ordering a panino, lots of places, especially if they let you create your ownsandwich (these are truly the best and freshest!) will ask you which type of bread you’d like. Italian bars and cafès often serve different types of breads; here are the most common:

Ciabatta: Literally means “slipper,” it’s long and flat.

Rosetta: Puffy on the outside and shaped like a rosebud, it’s mostly hollow and airy on the inside.

Tartaruga: Gets its name from the word “turtle” because of its hard shell-like form.

Pizza bianca: This is essentially plain pizza bread without any sauce or toppings and tastes a bit saltier than the others.

How much?

How much should you expect to pay for a panino? Typically, a sandwich costs between €2.50-€4.00, depending on the neighborhood. Anything more than that is just a rip off.

Here are a couple of my favorite spots to hit up for a tasty panino:

Bar Amore
Via dei Banchi Nuovi, 41
00186 Rome (Piazza Navona)
Cost: €2.50

Bar Amore has been around since the 1940’s and is a hub for many locals, office workers and students in the area. The place gets crowded in the mornings for breakfast and is also a hot spot for a quick lunch. Unfortunately, there are only a few tables, so many people simply grab their sandwiches to go.

Marco, who I call the “panino man,” is quick at taking your order and whipping your sandwich into lunch art. He’s also handy at making suggestions (in charming, if broken, English) on what would work well for your sandwich. He offers goodies like scamorza cheese, tuna, prosciutto crudo, turkey breast, breaded chicken, hamburger patties, salame and all sorts of mixed grilled and boiled veggies.

If you’re nearby on a Tuesday, you must try the famous porchetta (pork) from Ariccia. It’s spettacolare!

La Sanwicheria al Nazareno
Largo Nazareno, 16/17
00187 Rome (Piazza di Spagna)
Cost: €4

This little sandwich shop just off Via del Tritone between Piazza di Spagnaand the Trevi Fountain opened in 2011 and definitely serves some interesting panini! They charge a bit more than the rest, but the quality of their ingredients definitely justify it. Everything is made fresh to order (as opposed to some bars where nobody knows how long things have been sitting there!).

You can put practically anything on your panino, including arugola, fennel, tartufo, prosciutto crudo, mortadella, and lots of other interesting and yummy ingredients.

Making your own panini from the supermarket

Instead of buying apanino from the bar, you can always buy the ingredients from the supermarket and make one yourself! Almost any supermarket will sell you a few slices of prosciutto crudo, turkey (tacchino) or salame. All you have to ask is for “due o tre fette di _____” and specify which meat you want. This typically won’t run you more than a euro, especially since you’re not buying 100 grams of cold cuts.

Most supermarkets have a bakery where you can pick out your bread. Ordering just one rosetta, ciabatta or a tartaruga will probably set you back between €0.30 and €0.60. If you get a piece of pizza bianca, it could cost you about a euro. They will even slice the bread for you, if you ask.

Lastly, you’ll need to grab some mozzarella. A portion of mozzarella will cost you between €1-€1.50 for the cheapest brand. And voilà! You have your own delicious homemadepanino for about €3! (Also read our article about shopping in a grocery store in Rome.)

Also in our guide: Looking for an affordable place to stay in central Rome? In our guide to Rome you’ll find our editors’ reviews of the city’s best affordable hotels, all located in the city center, near Piazza Navona, Termini Station, the Vatican and other central neighborhoods.

The post Rome Panini: How to find and order the best sandwiches 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.

Local hot-spot Panificio Firenze, a tasty joint serving as grocery store (alimentari), bakery (panificio) and deli (salumi), has been delighting locals with fresh breads, meats, and cheeses since 1929. At lunch time it’s as busy and chaotic as the trading floor at the stock exchange.

Made to order

Follow these simple steps for Panini perfection:

1) If the place is super busy, pull a ticket from the machine by the front door. Wait for your number to show up on the display overhead.

2) Choose your filling from a range of delicious fresh meats and cheeses on display. Watch as the goods get weighed.

3) Pay a reasonable price for your taste sensation. Enjoy!

Crusty rolls and fresh breads, too!

My personal favorite? The prosciutto and mozzarella on flatbread (focaccia), warmed in the oven for a minute or two… bellissimo! The roasted pork sandwiches served in crusty rolls occasionally make an appearance, and are devilishly tasty, too.

Another great bet is Panificio’s mini pizzas. Just out of the oven, they are divine. Locals like to eat them cut down the middle and folded. The cost for this delight will only set you back €1.50.

A cornucopia of different types of freshly baked bread is always on display. From crusty rolls to sublime focaccia, the panificio (baker) also offers up a good assortment of biscuits and pastries. In addition, Panificio is the perfect place to pop in for picnic provisions like finely sliced Mortadella or Bresola.

It’s easy to walk by…

Know before you go

It can be a little tricky to find, as there isn’t any sign hanging out front. Panificio Firenze is located just off Via Nazionale (Piazza Republica end) at 51-52 Via Firenze, Rome. The closest metro is Republica.

Panificio is open Monday through Friday from 7 AM to 7 PM, on Saturdays until 2 PM, and is closed on Sundays. (Tel: 06-488-5035)

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