Cantinetta dei Verrazzano, Florence

In a side street, halfway between Piazza Signoria and Duomo , the Cantinetta dei Verrazzano sells a choice of bread and focaccia over the counter but they also offer a few tables inside, if you'd like to take some time to sit and eat. It is, at the same time, a bakery, wine bar, coffee shop and a very convenient place for a quick lunch or great snacks. Salads, sandwiches, focacce, cecina (a flatbread made with chickpea flour) and different kinds of cheese such as fresh caprino and fresh or matured pecorino, are the specialties of the place. The Cantinetta gets its name from Castle of Verrazzano, a well-known brand of Chianti wines, but also from the navigator Giovanni Da Verrazzano, who was the first explorer to land in present day Manhattan. In July and August, it closes at 3pm.