Florence: San Lorenzo Market Food Tour & Wine Tasting

Nine tastings at Florence's oldest market, ending with how locals actually drink wine

You taste nine local foods and six drinks at San Lorenzo Market's family-run stalls, then move to a 1944 wine shop for a sommelier-led tasting with food pairing. The guide introduces you to the vendors who've been there for decades, teaches you how to spot real gelato, and shows you how locals actually finish a meal. Dietary needs are accommodated with advance notice.

Step-by-step itinerary

Florence Market Food and Wine Tour

• Pass by historic Medici church
• View San Lorenzo Church and Medici Chapels
• Explore Central Market building
• Visit San Lorenzo Outdoor Leather Market
• Meet Marco and taste Tuscan cheeses
• Try organic products at Le Lame stand
• Enjoy coffee at Bar del Mercato
• Taste lampredotto and meatballs with wine
• Stop at Tuscan cooking takeaway shop
• Wine tasting at historic wine shop
• Learn and taste artisanal gelato
• Enjoy cantucci with Vin Santo wine

The experience

"You come here, you taste like a Florentine, not like a tourist," Marco said, sliding a wedge of his 46-variety pecorino window across the counter at San Lorenzo Market. That's the whole point of this Florence market food tour. You're not collecting Instagram moments, you're eating the way the people who work here eat. The guide takes you through the 19th-century Central Market downstairs, where the stalls have been run by the same families for decades, and you stop at the ones that matter: Marco's cheese counter, the Bambi family's lampredotto stand (that's tripe, cooked in a century-old recipe), the Le Lame family's olive oils and vinegars brought daily from the Tuscan hills. Nine tastings and six drinks across the market, including local wines, truffle cheese, balsamic vinegar, fresh cantucci with Vin Santo: the sweet white wine locals pair with it.

After you've worked through the market, you head to a historic wine shop that's been run by three generations of sommeliers since 1944. They pour two wines from the family's own farm and pair them with a main course brought from the market itself, so you're tasting wine the way it's meant to be tasted, with food, in the place where Florentines actually buy it. The shop has 2,500 labels on the walls, and the sommelier walks you through how to read a bottle, how to hold the glass, what you're actually tasting. It's not pretentious. It's practical. Then you finish like an Italian finishes: with gelato, and the guide teaches you how to spot the real thing (the color, the texture, the temperature), so you know which gelateria is worth your money when you're walking around Florence on your own.

The whole thing takes three to four hours. You're moving through the market at a pace that lets you actually talk to the vendors, not rushing past them. The guide is English-speaking and knows these families personally, so when you stop at Bar del Mercato for coffee, you're standing where the market vendors gather in the morning, not at a tourist café. If you have dietary needs (vegetarian, gluten-free, allergies), you email ahead or add a note at booking, and they work with you. Kids under four don't need a ticket and can come along, though food isn't included for them. From four up, they eat with everyone else.

What’s included

Your day includes a local English-speaking guide, entry to San Lorenzo Market with nine food tastings and six drinks (local wines, coffee, Vin Santo), a private wine tasting at a 1944 wine shop with food pairing, a gelato lesson and two flavors, and introductions to the local families running the market stalls. You'll also learn about the Medici family's influence on Florence and receive insider tips for eating like a local.

Options for this experience

2 options

Food tour for small groups (8 people maximum)Guide in English · 10:00Lasts 3 hours

Upgrade to a private food tourGuide in English · 09:30, 10:30 and 11:00Offers a more personal, intimate food experience, with the tour shared only among your group. Lasts 3 hours.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Information

Lasts 3h, runs Monday to Saturday, 4 start times, from € 94 per person, with a live guide in English, in groups of up to 8 and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesMonday to SaturdayDepartures at 09:30, 10:00, 10:30 and 11:00Another time? ›

GroupUp to 8

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Youth (13 to 17 years) · Child (4 to 12 years) · Under 4: can't be booked

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Florence Food Tours by Eating Europe

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to eat what Florentines actually eat, not what's on a tourist menu: the guide's connections to the market vendors and the sommelier's knowledge of the wine shop's own farm wines are what make the difference between tasting and understanding.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 17 years); Child (4 to 12 years). Children under 4 can't be included in the booking.

How long is the Florence market food tour?

Three to four hours, including the market stops and the wine shop tasting.

What's included in the nine tastings?

Local cheeses, cured meats, truffle cheese, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cantucci with Vin Santo, lampredotto, Tuscan meatballs, and two gelato flavors. Six drinks include local wines and coffee.

Is the tour wheelchair accessible?

Yes, the tour is wheelchair accessible, and transportation options nearby are also wheelchair accessible.

What if I have dietary restrictions?

Email the company or add a note at booking for vegetarian, gluten-free, or other dietary needs. They accommodate where possible, but cannot serve guests with severe or life-threatening food allergies to ingredients on the tour.

Do the tastings and stops change?

Yes, offerings and stops may vary by day or season, but you'll always taste a selection of local flavors from the market.

What's the minimum group size?

Two guests minimum. If the group doesn't meet this, the company will contact you to reschedule or offer a refund.

Is the wine shop part of the tour?

Yes. You visit a historic wine shop run by three generations of sommeliers since 1944, where you taste two wines from their own farm paired with a main course from the market.