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Fiesole sits in the hills just northeast of Florence, and it's worth the trip for the views alone - but stay for dinner and you'll understand why so many Florentines make the short climb up here on a warm evening.

Bus #7 is the easy way up: catch it from Piazza San Marco and settle in for a twenty-minute ride that climbs steadily out of the city, the streets narrowing and the views opening up behind you until you're deposited right in Piazza Mino da Fiesole, the town's main square. It's a genuinely pleasant ride in its own right, not just transport, but part of the experience, and at a couple of euros each way, it's the kind of small pleasure that makes Fiesole feel like a proper excursion rather than just another stop on a checklist.

Piazza Mino is the heart of the town: the Duomo di Fiesole on one side, the Palazzo Pretorio's loggia and coats of arms on the other, and cafe tables spilling out where the two meet. From here it's a short walk up to San Francesco and the terraces that look back down over Florence - the Duomo's dome, the hills of Chianti beyond, the whole valley laid out below you. It's the view every guidebook photo of Florence wishes it could show, minus the crowds. The Roman theater is worth a separate stop too, just below the piazza on the other side of the hill, in its own quiet valley setting facing away from the city. Come for the views, then stay for one of the restaurants below.

Getting there

Take bus #7 (operated by Autolinee Toscane, the company that took over Florence's local bus routes from ATAF in 2021) from Piazza San Marco in Florence - it runs frequently and drops you directly in Piazza Mino da Fiesole, a short walk from either restaurant below. The ride takes about 20-25 minutes depending on traffic, and tickets can be bought in advance from any tabacchi or validated on board if you already have one.

The Restaurants:

Bistrot al 5

Perched on the hillside piazza of Fiesole, Bistrot al 5 is one of the more quietly accomplished restaurants in the greater Florence area - a Slow Food member that takes its sourcing seriously without making a performance of it. Chef Enrico Mantovanelli works a seasonal menu built around locally sourced ingredients, and the kitchen has a knack for layering simple Tuscan dishes into something more c... read more.

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La Reggia degli Etruschi

Perched in the hills of Fiesole with sweeping views over Florence and the Arno valley, La Reggia degli Etruschi is the kind of place you bring guests when you want to remind them -- and yourself -- just how absurdly beautiful this part of the world can be. The building has its own history to recommend it: a former monastery turned tearoom turned one of the more coveted dinner reservations on the h... read more.

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