My son is a college student in Florence this year, and is on his own for meals Thursday through Sunday. He is already complaining about the cost of the restaurants and that he really hasn't found anything too great yet. I'm sure you all can help him. He loves pizza, pasta, meat, fish, really anything! His school is near the Academia, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind going out of his way for a good, cheap meal. Thanks so much, from Mom and Dad who are sending the money!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kim,

By being on his own does that mean that he has no kitchen facilities? If he does it surely would be possible to prepare economical meals. Being near the Academia he is only a few minutes walk to the market in San Lorenzo (plus numerous markets all around) where he should be able to eat for only a few dollars per meal.

It's terribly cheap to buy panini or pizza at numerous places around town. I especially liked Pasticceria Ballerini on via Borgo Ognissanti.

He is in a very small room in an old pensione (doubling as a dorm)with no kitchen facilities at all. I'll pass on the panini places you mentioned--I'm sure he'll enjoy those. Any ideas for times when he might want to go out to a restaurant with friends?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MercersX5,

is this poor guy really gonna be there eating out for whole year?!
when i was a student there i had an apartment, but it was still a little tough to figure the food thing out.

Antico Noe is in a small alley off Via dei Benci - best sandwhiches in town and super cheap. good falafel place right there, too.

i'll actually be back in florence next week, and staying close to the Accademia. could arrange a GTG if ya like. email me at caredmore@yahoo.com

Can he go to the Mensa which is the scvhool systems cafeteria? Pretty decent food for very cheap as long as you have a student ID card.

There is another great spot I didn't mention because I don't know the name. (I'm sure some of the Firenze locals on the board will know ... Angie, Diva??)

It is on via Palazzuolo right off the corner of the street that the Ponte Amerigo Vespucci is on(Sorry - I don't know the street name either). Menu is fixed price. 7 euro for lunch - 9 for dinner. You get your choice of a first course, a second and a side dish. Wine and water are also included in that price.

Quite often there is a line - more so at lunch it seems. (There seems to be a lot of workmen there)

I'm sure someone here can give you the name and you can pass that one on to your son.

Even so, a meal for as much as 7 euyro is way more than he would pay by sharing a flat with kitchen with some other students. And probably also the rent would be much cheaper. In any Italian university there are big boards of announces. In this season, one third of them are for shared appartments, people looking for a room to stay in or looking for someone to share a room in an apartment.

There is a good self service called Leonardo on via de' Pecori. It is upstairs and closed on weekends. All walks of life eat there from Bank managers to tourists to students to some seedy people. Everyone minds their own business and the food is decent.

quote:

Even so, a meal for as much as 7 euyro is way more than he would pay by sharing a flat with kitchen with some other students.

Very true...... You can eat for nearly nothing if you prepare your own. I, too, would suggest he start looking for a shared apartment or alternate housing. Until he does find it - assuming he does - he needs to save every penny I would think.

To clarify his living situation, my son is in Florence with a study abroad program that includes room and board, and the students are housed in pensiones that have been converted into dorms for this purpose. He really doesn't have the option of moving into an apartment.

Thank you for all of your suggestions. I will forward them on to my son who will really appreciate the information!

Could he buy his own little microwave, toaster, kettle and grill and make his own "little" meals in his room?

If it's too expensive to do on his own, tell him to gang together with some others in his dorm to share the cost. Then everyone could share it. Maybe they could even sell the stuff on to the next students that arrive!

Maybe have one full big dinner each day at the Mensa, and then come home and have toasted sandwiches filled with wholesome cheeses, meats and vegetables? That would be really cheap and also very nutritional.

Plus in Italy, aren't they big on those proper homecooked meals that you buy at the supermarket and then heat up yourself? If he had his own mini-kitchen in his room then he could do that.

I thought room and board was with food!!!!!

He isn't far from the central market.
where he can even buy prepared foods. there are rosticciera where he can buy a whole roasted chicken fro probably 5 or 6 Euro..
have him email me I live near by.
there are also great places here where he cna get lunch easy for 9 or 10 euro for a first course, main course veggie and water.

On via palazzuolo are two trattoria's with dinner cheap where all the soldiers go and single guys!!!

why isn't he getting food with room and BOARD?

Hi Diva, thanks for your reply. I'll have to tell my son about the places on Via Palazzuolo--sounds right up his alley!

The students don't have classes on Friday and often they take a long weekend to travel as part of their program. So, meals are not served at the dorm from Thursday night through Sunday as many of the students are gone. My son says the food he is being served at his dorm is really very good and plentiful, so I'm glad to hear that.

I like Pallatino (sp?) beside Vivoli for lunch. They have decent food and it's all pretty reasonable. Two course lunch for around 7 euro (5.5 plus 1.5 coperto). Good portions and food is good. Besides the 2 course lunch they have pizza, sandwiches, pasta.

Also there is a great place to get sandwiches on via egidio just west of the intersection with via dell'oriuolo and the street Standa is on. For 3 euro you get a choice of bread, meat, cheese, and all kinds of toppings and also pesto, olive oil, truffle paste, olive paste etc. It's actually an olive oil shop and there's usually a line up for sandwiches. Be forewarned - if the proprietor doesn't approve of your selections, he'll cross his arms and say "no" - take his advice- the sandwiches are awesome.

While in Florence, I found the most inexpensive thing was Pizza. Not at a restaurant, just at this deli type places, that sold pizza by the kilo or size. They would heat it up for you and for the most part, really good. Other than that, hit the grocery store. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are your friend. On our last trip, we would eat those for lunch, and then splurge a little on dinner. Great way to save money for gelato and such.

Hi there, I know I am a bit late on this but if MercerX5 is still checking, I have some suggestions for your son. I have a sneaking suspicion he is on the same program I did in Florence 8 years ago! Many of the same haunts we had still exist but he'll probably learn many of them from the school soon enough. Let me know if you'd like me to share!

Dana

Dana,
Sorry to hijack this thread...but my son is in Florence right now for a semester. He does have an apt. with a kitchen and he and his roommates do go to market every day and cook. However, he still goes out to eat occasionally. Any suggestions?

Dana, thanks for bringing back this topic! My son has now been in Florence for a month, and things are looking up. He has found a place that has a special for students in his program, 1/2 of a roasted chicken and all the roasted potatoes you can eat for 3 euro!! Apparently there are several places around that cater to the college student population in Florence, as you no doubt discovered for yourself.

I would love for you to share any specific suggestions that you remember. He's there until April, so he has plenty of time to try new places. Thanks!

Za Za is a fun place, outdoor seating. Very casual!

MercerX5 - is the roasted chicken and potato place La Spada? Is your son on the Gonzaga program? The timeframe and location sound right. If he hasn't already tried it, there is a middle eastern sandwich shop called Amon's Panini Egiziani on Via Palazzuolo that is cheap and a favorite of students. Great guy and great food. I would have recommended La Spada - any weekend we stayed in town, we ate La Spada food all weekend. My email is danaroseann@yahoo.com if you need any more Gonazaga or Florence info! Hope your son is having the time of his life - I definitely did!

Dana

Gloria - no problem - I would definitely recommend La Spada to him for takeout or even to eat in. SO reasonable and the staff and owners are really great to the foreign students. It's on Via La Spada, pretty close to Santa Maria Novella. I am trying to remember a restaurant my sister and I frequent when we visit. Da Gabriele I think it's called closer to Piazza Signoria. Unfortunately I cannot find a street name for you. There is also a pizza place on Via Della Scala called La Grotta di Leo which is really tasty and cheap. I'll try to think of more!

Dana

quote:

Could he buy his own little microwave, toaster, kettle and grill and make his own "little" meals in his room?

Bingo. The guy needs to get a hotplate, then he can cook basically anything there at home. Eating out 4 nights a week for 9 months is going to be expensive and he's going to hate it after awhile. The most economical solution for eating out is pizza. The first thing I did in Bologna was find a good pizzeria that delivered

Yes, Dana, he's there on the same program! the Chicken dinner is now called "The Bruno", I'm sure you'll get the connection. I will be in touch with you--I'd love to hear more!

And to Rar, my son will have to check on regulations regarding students cooking in their rooms, what's allowed and what's not. I know that even in their dorms at home in the US there were very specific do's and don'ts in that regard.

I just had the same complaint from another Mom here at my classes.
I am surprised that Gonzaga doesn't have a list of great places to eat cheap in FLorence

YES, there are places, rosticcieria, that sell precooked food,whole or haof chickens, roast potatoes, cooked veggies pasta etc.
Some like La Spada, have actual sit down space.
There is also da Guilliano on Via dei Neri.
Don;t remember the name of one on Via Cavour right by San Marco
Town is now full of Kebab places ( gyros) for 3,50 huge sandwiches.
Centro Vegetariano is on Via delle Ruote, not far from San Marco.

I will see about putting together a list!
But I am gone for a week now!