Five Hotel Bars for Aperitivo in Florence (+1)
A drink in the Giardino della Gherardesca, an aperitivo in Santa Maria Novella, a poolside pizza, a rooftop food pairing or a picnic looking out over the Fiesole hills. High-end Florentine hôtellerie has thrown its doors open to locals with a lineup built to suit every whim, every craving and every budget. It is a quiet act of inclusion that is steadily changing how the city sees the hotel bar — no longer off-limits, but an excellence waiting to be discovered. And by no one more than the locals themselves.
For FUL we tried some of the finest addresses Florence has to offer for aperitivo (and beyond): here are five unmissable hotel bars (+1).
HARRY’S BAR THE GARDEN (SINA VILLA MEDICI) — Beyond the famous room on Via Amerigo Vespucci, Harry’s Bar has found in the enchanting pool garden of Sina Villa Medici the perfect setting to bring its historic food & beverage tradition into a cool, easy context. This is a genuine secret garden — a revelation above all for the Florentines who for years have walked past the sumptuous hotel on the edge of the historic center and wondered what lay behind its walls. The menu, naturally, starts from the Harry’s Bar signatures: on the classic pink tablecloth you’ll find highlights like tagliolini gratinati al prosciutto (ham-gratin tagliolini), beef carpaccio, prawn cocktail and chicken curry, all available as full courses or as aperitivo finger food. The drinks are every bit as good, ranging from great classics such as the Martini Cocktail (served here in a frozen shot glass, Harry’s Bar Venice style), the Negroni and the French 75. There’s a lovely house twist, too: the Pink 53, built on raspberries (fresh and in syrup), white Martini and Prosecco, a nod to the year Harry’s Bar Florence was born (1953). The final flourish? Neapolitan pizza, from the classic Margherita and Marina to the day’s “pizza special” — a surprise, chosen fresh each morning by the pizzaiolo (pizza chef).
ATRIUM BAR (FOUR SEASONS HOTEL FIRENZE) — One of the best cocktail bars in Florence, hotel category or otherwise, the grand Atrium Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze pairs elegant indoor rooms with a wide-open garden. It’s a happy oasis where hotel guests and outside visitors alike can soak up the calm, the history and the beauty of the Palazzo and the Giardino della Gherardesca. “Beauty,” alongside “wellness,” is also the keyword of a drink list inspired by the products of the hotel’s Spa: medium- and low-alcohol serves that bridge two worlds that look very different but share the same instinct for care and tailoring to the guest. Four of the cocktails are proper drinks in their own right; two alcohol-free serves take their names straight from Spa treatments. If you’d rather, you can always order the great classics or the signatures that have shaped the story of Florentine bartending over the years (many will remember the playful “Animal Kingdom” menu). All of it, of course, is paired with the gourmet plates from Il Palagio’s Michelin-starred kitchen.
THE PLACE FIRENZE — From a simple stop on the way to (or from) the station to a beautiful setting for the city’s summer evenings. In the slow transformation of Piazza Santa Maria Novella, the gateway to Florence, The Place Firenze plays a leading role — even more so since a restyling refreshed its interiors and its dehor (terrace seating) in the name of elegance, but also of conviviality and hospitality. Alongside the success of “Friends of The Place,” a recurring initiative that spotlights great food & beverage producers by pairing their labels with artisan cheeses and cured meats, this multi-award-winning boutique hotel has built a seasonal menu designed to make summer in the city that much more enticing. The Place Firenze is where you come together for a glass of wine at sunset, perhaps alongside a prawn tartare with Tuscan buffalo and passion-fruit citronette, the famous Club Sandwich, or the other fine-dining plates of chef Asso Migliore.
ANGEL ROOFBAR&DINING (HOTEL CALIMALA) — Rising above the red roofs of Florence, in the heart of the historic center, Angel Rooftop&Dining spreads across the top three floors (fifth, sixth and seventh) of Hotel Calimala, a four-star hotel set in the Palazzo degli Angeli. A true place to be, complete with a green space tended by Serre Torrigiani, a restaurant, two indoor bars and two outdoor bars, a patio with a hanging garden and a plunge pool that — thanks in part to its spectacular 360° view — has become one of the most loved gathering spots in the city, for aperitivo, dinner and nightlife. The kitchen runs fully à la carte, with an Italian–Middle Eastern fusion (two of the chefs are from Tel Aviv, two are Italian) that moves between tapas & bites and dinner. The mixology is just as compelling, with territory-rooted signatures like the Improved Negroni — a reworking of the classic with homemade Bitter, Cynar, Bitter Barbieri and Angostura — and the Duomo Spritz, with rhubarb and lemon, plus unexpected, wow-factor drinks like the BBQ (Best Bourbon Cocktail), whose aromatic backbone comes from a sugar made with barbecue sauce. Wine lovers won’t be disappointed either, with around a hundred labels from all over the world.
EMPIREO ROOFTOP (PLAZA HOTEL LUCCHESI) — The Duomo straight ahead, the majesty of Santa Croce to the right and Piazzale Michelangelo to the left… Empireo Rooftop is one of those terraces that frame the most beautiful views in the city, whether for a light lunch, an aperitivo or dinner, over a refreshing cocktail and the plates of an à la carte menu. On the terrace of the Plaza Hotel Lucchesi, the food & beverage lineup pairs classic mixing with an eye on current trends: the cocktail list is themed around music, with a Spotify track matched to each drink, and beyond an excellent Negroni twist that uses a rich orange marmalade as an edible garnish, it boasts signatures with unusual ingredients like popcorn syrup and lacto-fermented tomatoes. The fusion dishes are prepared right there on the rooftop by chef Simone Cipriani of the Essenziale restaurant and his team.
VILLA SAN MICHELE (A BELMOND HOTEL, FLORENCE) — Tucked among the Fiesole hills (hence the +1), inside a former medieval monastery that captures Florentine romance to perfection, Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel, Florence, is a boutique hotel with one of the finest skylines in the city. A perfect idea for an aperitivo — or for a picnic. The drinks are the work of Nunzio Adamo, Head Bartender of Il Chiostrino (the summer bar in the lush Italian gardens of Villa San Michele, open daily from 11:00 to 1:00, to outside guests too, for aperitivo and after-dinner). It’s a genuine journey through mixing, moving from the great classics toward drinks with a Tuscan soul (made with spirits from the region) and cocktails that retrace the history of the villa, its garden and the illustrious figures who passed through it. In keeping with Belmond’s focus on the art of the aperitivo — and its promise of authentic, open-air moments in nature — the beloved picnics are back, too. The “instructions” are simple: settle into whatever spot you like best in this fabulous terraced garden and watch the sun set over Florence, stretched out on a comfortable blanket, savoring the treats packed into a classic wicker basket and toasting with a good wine or a good drink. A wonderfully free experience, to reconnect and spend a special, carefree moment.
Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel, Florence
