The Florence Edit

Secrets only locals know.

Where not to eat, what not to buy, who not to pay. The places and pitches Florentines warn each other about.

6 entries · Tourist Traps

If the coperto is above €3 per person, you're in a tourist trap. Real trattorias keep it €1.50–€2.50.

→ Check the menu before you sit. If it's missing, leave.

The most-tagged restaurants near the Duomo trade on view, not value. The food is fine, the bill is not.

→ Eat in Oltrarno or Sant'Ambrogio instead.

Only take white taxis with the Taxi sign on the roof and a meter. Anyone offering a ride at SMN is overcharging.

→ Call 055 4242 or use itTaxi / FreeNow.

Most stalls sell mass-produced imports stamped 'Made in Italy'. Real Florentine leather lives in tiny Oltrarno workshops.

→ Ask to see the workshop in the back. If there isn't one, walk.

Same magnets, same aprons, same David boxers — marked up 4×. Walk five minutes in any direction.

→ Try the artisan workshops in Santo Spirito.

If it's neon, fluffy and Instagrammed — it's pumped with stabilizers. Real gelato sits flat in metal trays, often covered.

→ Try Gelateria della Passera or Vivoli.

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Tuscan coast, off-script.

Where Florentines actually book.

Aperitivo at golden hour.