Here's a guide to my favorite wine bars and trattorias in the neighborhoods of major cultural attractions in Florence. Look for my decal in the window. And tell them Divina Cucina sent you!

F I R E N Z E  -----  Florence for foodies Santa Croce Piazza Santa Croce Vestri Borgo Albizi, 11r Tel: 055-234-0374 There's trouble in town...a real chocolate maker has arrived. This is what I've been waiting for! There are incredible filled chocolates with flavors like Earl Grey, chili pepper, and liquor ganaches. There are also chocolate-covered orange slices, apricots, ice creams, and hot chocolate with or without chili! It's a good thing Vestri is across town from me! Leonardo's father began in Arezzo in 1966, where they have a large modern shop outside the city. We have a real treasure in Florence now. Try my version of Cioccolato Caldo Vestri! I dolci di Patrizio Cosi Borgo Albizi, 11 When I lived on Via Ghibellina, we were just blocks from this fabulous pastry shop! Now that I live across town, whenever I am in the neighborhood, Patrizio Cosi is high on my list of snack places. After all, one must keep up their strength while walking in Florence. It is great stop all day for dessert, sandwiches, cappuccino, or Campari soda! The space is tight, so you will be rubbing elbows, and sometimes other parts, in order to enjoy this famous pastry maker's goods. Osteria dei Pazzi Via dei Lavatoi, 1/3R Corner Via Verdi Tel: 055-234-4880 Reservations suggested, even at lunch Closed Monday The Pazzi were a famous family in the Renaissance, but "pazzi" also means crazy! Paolo Paroli, your host and chef, is crazy about food. He abandoned a teaching career to follow his passion and this wonderful restaurant is the result. He is the epitome of the old-style Florentine "oste"--joking and yelling, almost giving you a show with your meal. Fun and English are spoken here! Traditional Tuscan food prepared with care--crostini, bruschetta, spaghetti con polpo pestato, pasta with rugola, ecc. His goal is to build a clientele of Florentines, so you know the food must be good. The atmosphere is great fun. La Pentola dell'Oro (Alessi) Via di Mezzo, 24-26R Tel: 055-241-808 Closed Sunday Alessi is a private club several blocks from Santa Croce. Guisseppe Alessi with his wife and son create food that delight and fascinate Florentines. He considers himself more of an alchemist than a chef, and the emulsions he creates are magical. He's a philosopher in the kitchen; if you can understand Italian, you will be able to appreciate the research he puts into modern interpretations of antique recipes. He's famous for his rendition of Brunelleschi's Peposo, a beef stew rich with pepper. He even works with wineries to create wines that are right for his dishes. Everything at Alessi is incredible except the bill which is low! You can find some of his recipes here. Enoteca Pinchiorri Via Ghibellina, 87R Tel: 055-242-777 Closed Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday lunch It's taken me 16 years to eat here! A tasting menu here will run you € 200 and up to € 500 per person if you go for the full wine treatment that is known to make wine lovers weep! Enoteca Pinchiorri is one of the food temples of Italy. It's owned by Anne Feolde and her husband Giorgio Pinchiorri who work very hard to keep it on the top. Both of their children have joined them in this incredible endeavor. The food is fabulous and the wine list endless! I was lucky enough to be invited to dinner. We drank two bottles of 1988 Pergole Torte, an incredible wine produced by Sergio Mannetti of MonteVertine winery. In the summer, Pinchiorri's beautiful inner courtyard becomes the dining room. Lunch offers a light menu; it's also lighter on your pocketbook. Desserts are incredible! In addition to your dessert order, you're given a tray of tiny pastries and sorbets in handmade cones served in a crystal and sterling silver holder. Save room! Enoteca Boccadama (wine bar) Piazza Santa Croce, 25-26 Tel: 055-243-640 Closed Monday There's a new trend in Florence-the upscale wine bar. It's not your old-style vinaio where you belly up to the bar and have a gottino (shot glass) of red with a rustic sandwich of finocchiona (a Tuscan fennel salami, like sausage in texture). At Boccadama, you sit in a newly decorated room, and select from a vast selection of wines by the glass (served in real wine glasses!), and a menu of small salads, salamis, cheeses, smoked meats, and fish. There are even some hot dishes. Click on the sight below that you plan to visit and I'll recommend the best place nearby to stop for a bite to eat. Galleria dell'Accademia Cappelle Medicee Museo del Bargello Palazzo Vecchio Mercato di San Lorenzo Mercato di San Ambrogio Santa Croce The Duomo Santa Maria Novella Oltrarno Fuori Porta (Outskirts)