26/02/2026: After a day walking in the cold rain, shoes soaked, we found this Gem. If you want an AUTHENTIC Florentine experience, here is the place.
We tried many of the flashy touristy spots, consisting of bright lights, employees outside recruiting patrons, and Italian food made for Americans: salty with lots of cheese, steak topped with a bunch of fancy crap, Then have fun paying their outrageous prices.
Realizing every restaurant has access to the same food from suppliers, I chose the one that lacks all their food touristy attractions, and did not charge tourist prices. Giovanni does not need to attract people; he is not looking to overcharge patrons, he seeks to serve unbelievable food. That the locals eat at home!
He let me watch while he made everything fresh, and I mean everything: he rolled dough, cut strips for the pastas on order. No sauce pre-prepared, he cut the tomatoes on the spot and made the sauces When ordered. He served bistecca Florentino (steak) how it was done for hundreds of years. No fancy shavings of truffle like the tourist spots just to blow up the price, they would have ruined its beauty.
The bill was small, worth so much more! and it was the best Italian meal I’ve had in this world. I’m planning a layover in Florence on my next trip anywhere in Europe or Asia. I’m a lifetime customer. It was basically food sex. Yes, I made a new term. I experienced food sex…. Fex
26/02/2026: We went to Il Barroccio for dinner per a suggestion from someone who lives in Firenze and we can say we are glad we listened. As soon as we walked in the door we received a warm welcome from Giovanni. We were seated in a window seat and immediately engaged in polite conversation. He spoke Italian and English.
The menu was all in Italian but Giovanni explained all the items and even asked what dishes we were looking to try. We saw some reviews that complained about the menu being in Italian, which I don’t understand… we are in Italy, but I digress.
Our dishes were prepared to perfection and the authenticity was very apparent. My husband is half Italian and was VERY happy with our meal. We are even thinking we should travel back to Italy just to have a meal here again.
Giovanni thank you for opening up your restaurant to us, it felt like we were dining at your home. Your hospitality made our trip to Firenze that much nicer!
We DEFINITELY recommend!
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