Florence, Venice, & Rome are pillars of Italian tourism, and they have a lot to offer. Here are some of our favorite bars, hotels, and restaurants in the two cities, as well as a few pieces of travel advice for getting around Venice.
Traveling around the Mediterranean? Check out our Guide to Mediterranean Port Cities.
Don’t know what to pack? Here’s Jess’s Packing List.
Top Restaurants
Overall: Highly Recommend
Service: 9/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Food: 8/10 Beverage Program: 8.5/10
If you are going to Venice for one meal- eat here. Located on an alley called Calle Frezzaria (they are number 1610), this cozy local somewhat modern trattoria is a triple theat- with good wine, good food, and good service. Matteo and Fabio own and run this place, and on our last trip to Venice both of our families went multiple times. If there is a downside, it is that the AC is not super consistent, and there can be mosquitos (but both of these things can happen all around Venice… and even after knowing this- we still went back the next day). The menu changes, but last time we loved the veal entree and the pigeon appetizer (we’re not big fans of pigeon, but dipping the homemade bread in the pigeon sauce was our favorite bite).
Overall: Highly Recommend
Service: 8/10 Atmosphere: 7.5/10 Food: 8/10 Beverage Program: 7.5/10
If you have one dinner in Florence- eat here. Owner Saldano is a quirky prince with the most amount of jewelry you will ever see on a person, and chatting with him makes this restaurant a must-visit every time we are in Florence. The food can also be phenomenal. Jess loves the boar ragu. Reservations are required.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 7/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Food: 8/10 Wine List: 8/10
Located in central Florence, Gobi is the best place to get angel hair pasta with red sauce (a family favorite). This rustic, underground setting provides a comfortable and traditional atmosphere, and the wine list is great. Reservations are essential.
More Restaurants & Bars...
Overall: Recommend
Service: 9/10 Atmosphere: 9.5/10 Food: 6.5/10 Wine List: 8/10
The restaurant at the Aman Hotel is as beautiful as you would expect, and the service also meets the high-end hotel’s luxury standards (George Clooney got married at this property). While the food fell short, we would still recommend a dinner at the restaurant (it usually takes a lot for us to say that, but it’s easy to say here). Get dropped by a water taxi (they’ll call a return for you) and enjoy the stunning high ceilings, paintings, and design. If possible, go to the equally beautiful bar for a nightcap.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 8.5/10 Atmosphere: 7.5/10 Food: 7/10 Wine List: 6.5/10
Directly next to the Trevi Fountain (which, by the way- go after sunset for the best view and to avoid the mass crowds), Baccano provides a reprieve from the tourist madness outside. Baccano is not necessarily the nicest restaurant in Rome, but it is certainly one of our favorites, because it is comfortable, the service is good, and the bar feels like home. This is a good place for bar people, especially at lunchtime. Menu wise, skip the prosciutto (you can find better elsewhere), but do order the tableside beef tartare (shockingly good). And, whatever you do, do not leave without trying the biscotti. We are not sweets people at all, but Jess still took the extra biscotti back to the hotel.
Overall: Maybe
Not rating
This is a small, rustic and very famous trattoria, and it has been pumping out Italian food for decades. Da Ivo is a Del Dotto family favorite, so we are not going to rank it… but Jess doesn’t love it. If you do go, make sure to book a reservation well in advance, and do not go with a group larger than 4 (even if there is a bigger table available). Be cautious of them trying to sell you a different wine than the one you ordered, and don’t order the clams (the steak however, was very good). The bathrooms are child-sized, so hold it.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 8/10 Atmosphere: 9/10 Food: 7/10 Wine List: 7/10
If you’ve explored this website a bit, you can bet that if there is a Bulgari in a city we review, we’ve been to it. While we did not actually stay at this Bulgari (the surrounding area isn’t that nice)… we did visit the spa (great) and the restaurant after. Highly recommend spending an afternoon/evening doing just that! Okay, back to the restaurant. It is beautiful, the bar is beautiful, the terrace is beautiful, etc. If you’re interested in atmosphere, this is a great location. The food was also good, however, we found that Il Ristorante Paris did a much better job with the same dishes. Same with the wine list- which had very few Italian wines we recognized (not always a bad thing). Still, we would go back, even if just to visit the bar. Reservations required. When booking a reservation, you may want to request a 2-top where you can sit next to each other, as some of the tables are a little tight.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 9/10 (luck) Atmosphere: 7/10 Food: 7/10 Wine List: 9.5/10
This is a small, cellar-like restaurant in the heart of Rome, with probably the best wine list around. We were lucky with the service here, and managed to be helped by a very efficient woman (mid 50’s, heavy lipstick) who basically provided everything we needed, whenever we needed it. (Something we have learned in Rome, is that they will always put 2 people at a 2-top, but the moment you order a nice bottle of wine, they will extend your table out to a 4-top, which happened here). There is standard Roman food here. The pastas are pretty traditional. The burrata is excellent. But you go for the wine list. It’s excellent.
Overall: Maybe
Service: 6/10 Atmosphere: 8.5/10 Food: 7.5/10 Wine List: 8/10
La Pergola is a three-star Michelin restaurant in the Waldorf Astoria, and sits on the top of a hill that overlooks Rome. The view at night is stunning, and you can see everything from the Colosseum to the Pantheon from a birds eye view. Gio has been at least 3 times (but this rating is for our most recent 2025 visit). As far as food, the tasting menu is what you expect from a three-star establishment- intricate dishes combining some Italian flavors with French techniques. Nothing was very memorable, but at the time it was enjoyable. If michelin meals are your vibe, La Pergola is probably the place to go. However, it should be noted that on our last visit the somm poured someone else’s wine into Jess’s glass (which had wine in it), took the entire glass away, and never told the other guest about the mistake… which is a strange sight at a three-star place. Oh, and jackets are required for men (but they will provide you one if you forget).
Overall: Recommend
Service: 8/10 Atmosphere: 9/10 Beverage Program: NA
When we first went to Locale, we stumbled upon it by accident because it was in between our hotel at the time (Four Seasons) and a shawarma shop (the name has disappeared from our memory, but it’s good). Now, it’s in the top 50 bar list. Back when we went, we sweet-talked a bouncer for bar seats. Now, you need a reservation. Not sure which is better, but both are worth it because the inside is stunning and the bartenders are friendly. Go, and if you re-discover the shawarma stop, please let us know.
We highly recommend spending an afternoon with an aperol spritz in San Marco square. There are tons of restaurants to choose from, almost none of which have great food, but they do provide a perfect location for people watching and enjoying a nice day outdoors. Be careful of the birds, they will steal food right out of your hand.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 5/10 (quickly an 8 if you order good wine) Atmosphere: 3/10 Food: 6.5/10 Wine List: 9.5/10
Do not be thrown off by the absolutely brutal google reviews- go here for the wine list. It is about 50 steps from San Marco square. It is touristy. But they have a literal hidden wine vault across the bridge (a family member may offer to show you) with practically a wall of Masseto and much more. Even before seeing that, we knew they had one of the best wine lists we have ever seen (selection 9/10 and value 10/10). Go in the afternoon for a nice bottle of wine, and don’t expect a lot other than that… but do enjoy yourself. If you are hungry, order the lasagna (we upped the food an entire point just because it was so good).
rdion Content
Overall: Recommend
Service: 8/10 Atmosphere: 9/10 Food: 7.5/10 Wine List: 9/10
We really loved our dinner at Quandri. Overlooking San Marco square (after all the tourists are gone), this is one of the most romantic spots in Venice. We had an excellent server, great wine, and great company in a stunning setting. The food is modern Michelin-y without being too pretentious. If you’re on the edge about this, go.
Hotels
The only hotel we’ve stayed at in Venice recently was Hotel Danieli, which we likely won’t return to. The concierge service was frustrating (leading us to almost miss our flight because they gave the boat we ordered to someone else), and there are many annoying tour groups in the lobby (so large groups of tourists can take pictures, while blocking the door so hotel guests have a hard time getting in and out). The bar is okay and the bartenders are nice, and the rooms are relatively comfortable. It is a busy hotel. Rooftop breakfast may be a plus for some.
A bit outside of the main part of Florence (a 15 minute walk), The Four Seasons Firenze is currently our top hotel to stay at in Florence. The property is huge, the gym is spacious, and the rooms have high ceilings and great bathrooms. While we would recommend skipping the Michelin restaurant, we highly recommend spending afternoons at the bar here, as it is one of our favorite spots. There are also several bars and restaurants walkable (such as La Giostra), that make this semi-far away location worth it.
Venice: After having dinner at the Aman hotel, it would certainly be the first place we would look if we return to Venice. The bar is stunning and remains open late for hotel guests. The grounds are beautiful. It is very high-end and in a great location slightly outside the main tourist hub, with helpful concierges (that gave us a tour). Rome: Bvlgari Hotel Roma is the perfect place for a spa day, enjoying the pool, and dinner at Il Ristorante after. However, you don’t need to be a hotel guest to do any of this. We don’t love the location (it’s next to a crowded budget shopping street), but the facilities are great.
Tourism & Travel Notes
You may have noticed that we have not posted much content on Florence here, and that is because we have not been in a few years. We do not want to provide information that is out of date. Still, we have been many MANY times, and we get a lot of requests for Florence tips- so we have included our top 2 restaurants and favorite hotel, because friends and family have visited more recently and they ensure us our favorites are still great.
Getting from the airport to Venice requires an additional boat. We highly recommend booking a private transfer service online or through your hotel. A private driver will pick you up at the terminal and drive you about 5 minutes to the water boat area (there is often a long line for water taxis that you can cut by getting private transfer).
If you have any health conditions at all (that may lead to you needing a visit to the hospital) do not go to Venice. As you can imagine, a city underwater does not have great infrastructure for transporting people quickly. Getting an ‘ambulance boat’ to Hotel Danieli took over 40 minutes. Plan accordingly.
Notable Places Visited & Not Reviewed
Venice: Al Covo: We personally did not enjoy it. Harry’s: Every time we have tried to go to Harry’s, it has been absolutely packed. Please let us know how it goes for you, maybe get there before opening time.
favorite moments
