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Cantinetta Antinori

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artslover
artslover
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4 out of 5
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Cantinetta Antinori

  • May 28, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by artslover from Calgary, Alberta
Cantinetta Antinori

This restaurant was highly recommended to us so we went for lunch although we had a limited amount of time because we had booked a tour of the Uffizi.

Cantinetta means small wine cellar. This restaurant's unusual feature is its wines. Cantinetta Antinori is a small restaurant in the center of Florence housed in Palazzo Antinori. It's owned by the famous Antinori wine making family. The family also happen to be aristocrats. Famous wines, titles, wealth, property in the middle of Florence -- some people have it all, don't they? The interior courtyard has displays of the many vinyards owned by the Antinori family. The restaurant features every wine that Antinori makes and no other labels.

We did not have reservations but arrived at 12:30 when the restaurant opens for lunch and we had no problem getting a table. The restaurant is on 2 levels. When we went for lunch, we sat in the upper loft area. Be aware that there are not many tables, so if you want to eat at a more popular time, a reservation might be a good idea.

We ordered a bottle Tignanello, an outstanding red wine, for a mere €38. For the same bottle, we paid $80Cdn retail only weeks earlier. The wines of Antinori are not cheap, and some are really expensive, but the prices are very good compared to other stores in Italy.

We didn't have much time for lunch so only ordered one course. The menu offered a full range of traditional Tuscan fare. My husband had a fagiole e salsiccia and I had papardelle with meat ragu. Food was excellent, but not cheap for lunch. The primo was €14 and the secondo was €19.

The other patrons seemed to be a mix of tourists and business. The room, because of the two levels, is fairly quiet and feels very spacious with natural light coming in from the many windows. It makes for a very comfortable ambience. The bathrooms here are small but one of the most luxurious that I saw in our entire trip. The staff are friendly and efficient.

I would love to return here to try dinner. I expect the food would be great and this restaurant is a must for a wine lover.

From journal Arte Firenze

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