Forget the Tourist-Menu Florence: I Ghibellini Still Cooks Like a Proper Tuscan Restaurant
I Ghibellini has been part of Florence since 1985, first as a pizzeria and spaghetteria and later as a full Tuscan restaurant. The setting helps: Piazza di San Pier Maggiore, inside the fourteenth-century Palazzo Corbizzi and close to the old Torre dei Donati, in a part of the historic centre that still feels lived in rather than staged.
The menu is broader than a classic trattoria card, moving from crostini with liver and spleen, coccoli with Tuscan ham, ragù fiorentino and bistecca to seafood, tartare and wood-fired pizza. That breadth could easily dilute the identity. Instead, the strongest dishes are precisely those that keep Florence firmly in view.
Our 2026 meal was generous, uncomplicated and far more satisfying than the central location initially made us expect. We ate extremely well without ceremony: proper crostini, a deep old-fashioned ragù, beef with actual character and pizza from a wood-fired oven rather than a fashionable imitation of one. Florence has thousands of places selling Tuscan tradition; I Ghibellini still feels as though it cooks it rather than advertises it.
Crostini with Liver and Spleen Go Straight to Florence
The crostini ai fegatini e milza alla vecchia maniera cost €8.
This is where the meal should begin.
Chicken liver gives sweetness and iron-rich depth, spleen pushes the flavour darker, and the bread underneath prevents the mixture from becoming simply soft and rich. The important thing is balance: enough savoury concentration to taste unmistakably Florentine, but not so much bitterness that the topping becomes severe.
At €8, it is also exactly the kind of dish that reminds you why traditional Tuscan starters do not need reinvention.
Coccoli, Prosciutto and Burrata Are Hard to Resist
The coccoli with Valdichiana prosciutto and burratina cost €12.
Coccoli are little fried dough balls, crisp outside and soft inside, built for salty cured meat and creamy cheese. It is an extremely simple equation and a dangerous one.
The burrata softens the prosciutto’s salt, while the hot dough brings the whole plate together.
They disappear quickly.
If the table is planning a Fiorentina later, share them.
Polpettine di Lesso Are the Cleverer Starter
The polpettine di lesso cost €12, served with green sauce and mayonnaise.
This is cucina di recupero at its best: boiled meat transformed into something richer and more appetising rather than treated as leftovers. The green sauce matters because acidity and herbs cut through the fried exterior and dense filling.
Compared with coccoli, this is less immediately seductive but more characterful.
It feels like a dish with history behind it.
Maccheroncini al Ragù Fiorentino Are the Pasta to Order
The maccheroncini al ragù fiorentino alla vecchia maniera cost €13.
That “old-fashioned” wording is justified by the style of the sauce: rich, slow-cooked and built around meat rather than sweetness.
The pasta has enough shape to hold the ragù properly, while the sauce tastes concentrated rather than glossy or overly refined.
This is not the kind of pasta that needs truffle shavings, stracciatella or a final flourish at the table.
It needs time in the pot and a good appetite.
For us, this was one of the most convincing dishes of the meal.
Carrettiera Keeps Things Fiercer
The spaghetti alla chitarra alla carrettiera cost €12.
Garlic, chilli and tomato give the dish a much sharper personality than ragù, while the square-edged chitarra pasta holds sauce and seasoning extremely well.
Carrettiera should never taste polite.
It needs garlic presence, chilli heat and enough tomato acidity to keep everything moving.
At €12, it is one of the strongest value dishes on the menu.
Carbonara Is There, but Florence Offers Better Reasons to Sit Down
The spaghetti alla chitarra carbonara cost €13.
It is competently placed on a menu that serves a broad audience, but this is not what we would prioritise here.
In Florence, with ragù fiorentino, crostini, trippa and bistecca around you, ordering carbonara feels slightly like travelling in the wrong direction.
It may be good.
It is simply not the dish that explains I Ghibellini.
Tagliolini with Summer Truffle Push Things Richer
The tagliolini with scorzone summer truffle cost €18.
This is the more polished pasta option, aromatic rather than rustic.
Tagliolini are delicate enough to carry truffle without fighting it, but the sauce needs restraint. Summer truffle is subtler than its winter counterpart, so excessive butter or cheese would erase the reason for ordering it.
The plate is richer and more elegant than the ragù, but also less essential to the restaurant’s identity.
Fiorentina Is Still the Main Event
The Fiorentina costs €60 per kilogram and comes with roast potatoes.
That is where I Ghibellini stops being just a pizzeria-trattoria and starts speaking the language Florence expects.
A proper bistecca alla fiorentina needs thickness, high heat and very little interference. The exterior should char deeply while the interior stays rare enough to remain juicy and almost mineral in flavour.
No heavy sauce is necessary.
Salt, olive oil if desired, and the meat itself should carry the plate.
At €60/kg, it sits in a relatively accessible part of Florence’s current bistecca market.
Maremmana Gives the Steak More Character
The Maremmana steak costs €70 per kilogram, again with roast potatoes.
Maremmana beef generally brings a slightly more pronounced flavour and firmer character than generic beef, which makes this the more interesting option when available.
The restaurant also offers other cuts and breeds seasonally, so the steak section can change depending on supply.
If two people want the most Tuscan experience on the menu, this is where we would spend the money.
The 600 g Rib Steak Is the Sensible Solo Route
Not everyone wants a kilogram-plus Florentine steak.
The 600 g rib steak costs €28, including roast potatoes, and gives one diner the same charcoal-driven pleasure without turning dinner into a logistical exercise.
That price is particularly striking for central Florence.
For a solo traveller who wants beef rather than pasta and pizza, this is one of the sharper orders.
The Beef Fillet with Pecorino and Truffle Goes Full Luxury
The grilled beef fillet costs €26, with Pecorino fondue, beef demi-glace and summer truffle.
This is the most elaborate meat dish.
The combination is intentionally rich: tender beef, salty cheese, reduced meat sauce and truffle all pull in the same direction.
It is less purely Tuscan than the Fiorentina and considerably more dressed.
If you want the meat itself to dominate, choose the steak. If you want the kitchen to do more around it, this is the alternative.
Pizza Still Matters Here
I Ghibellini began life partly as a pizzeria, and the wood-fired oven remains central to the restaurant.
That history matters because pizza does not feel like a side business added later to satisfy groups.
The menu moves from classics to richer house creations, with several pizzas built around burrata, cured meats, mushrooms, anchovies and truffle.
The Ghibellini Pizza Wears the Restaurant’s Name for a Reason
The Ghibellini costs €15, topped with tomato, fiordilatte, cherry tomatoes, rocket, prosciutto crudo, Parmigiano shavings and stracciatella di burrata.
It is rich but well constructed.
Tomato gives acidity, rocket cuts through the cured meat, Parmigiano adds salinity and stracciatella softens everything at the end.
There is a lot happening, but the combination still makes sense.
This is the pizza to order if you want the full house style rather than a Margherita.
Napoli DOC Is the Sharper Pizza
The Napoli DOC costs €16, with tomato, buffalo mozzarella, anchovies, capers, Taggiasca olives and cherry tomatoes.
This is more saline, more aggressive and arguably more coherent.
Anchovy, caper and olive keep the flavour profile tight, while buffalo mozzarella prevents the pizza from becoming too severe.
For us, this has more personality than the richer cured-meat combinations.
Wine Pairings
Crostini di fegatini: Isole e Olena Chianti Classico — bright acidity and savoury Sangiovese fruit cut neatly through liver richness.
Maccheroncini al ragù fiorentino: Fontodi Chianti Classico — firm acidity and restrained tannin suit long-cooked meat.
Fiorentina: Fèlsina Rancia Chianti Classico Riserva — more structure and depth for charred beef without smothering it.
Seafood Gives the Menu More Range Than Expected
The kitchen is not entirely land-driven.
Gnocchi with calamari, sage and lemon cost €15, while square spaghetti with clams cost €18. The fried seafood plate, at €20, includes baccalà, octopus, calamari and fries.
These dishes broaden the menu without pretending Florence has suddenly moved to the coast.
The gnocchi are the more interesting choice: sage and lemon give squid enough aromatic lift to keep the plate from becoming heavy.
Still, if this is your first visit, Tuscany should win.
Dessert Should Stay Simple after Steak
The dessert list is broad enough, but after coccoli, ragù and beef, restraint becomes useful.
A traditional sweet, coffee and perhaps a glass of Vin Santo make more sense than forcing another elaborate course.
The restaurant is at its best when it keeps the Tuscan sequence intact.
San Pier Maggiore Gives the Meal Its Best Setting
From April to October, outdoor tables spread into Piazza di San Pier Maggiore.
That is where we would sit.
The square carries much of Florence’s history without the crush of Piazza della Signoria or the Duomo immediately around you, while the remains of the old San Pier Maggiore complex give the setting an architectural weight that needs no artificial staging.
Inside, the restaurant occupies part of Palazzo Corbizzi, a building dating back to the fourteenth century.
History here is not wallpaper.
It is literally around the table.
Service, Atmosphere and Value
I Ghibellini remains family-run in spirit, and the restaurant feels more relaxed than many addresses in the most visited parts of Florence.
Service on our meal matched the food: straightforward, quick enough, friendly without unnecessary performance. Nothing felt rushed, but nothing dragged either.
Prices are particularly reasonable for the location. Crostini €8, ragù €13 and the 600 g rib steak €28 produce a substantial Tuscan meal for €49 before drinks, while a pizza-and-beer dinner can remain considerably lower.
The restaurant is open from Thursday to Tuesday, with Wednesday as its closing day, while the adjoining café operates daily. The terrace season runs roughly from April through October.
Useful Information
- Address: Piazza di San Pier Maggiore 8/10r, 50122 Florence
- Area: Santa Croce / San Pier Maggiore
- Founded: 1985
- Setting: Palazzo Corbizzi, fourteenth century
- Cuisine: Tuscan, Florentine and wood-fired pizza
- Chef: Martina Miniati
- Signature dishes: Crostini di fegatini e milza, maccheroncini al ragù fiorentino, Fiorentina and wood-fired pizza
- Crostini di fegatini e milza: €8
- Coccoli, prosciutto and burratina: €12
- Maccheroncini al ragù fiorentino: €13
- Carrettiera: €12
- Tagliolini with summer truffle: €18
- Fiorentina: €60/kg
- Maremmana: €70/kg
- 600 g rib steak: €28
- Ghibellini pizza: €15
- Napoli DOC pizza: €16
- Outdoor dining: April–October
- Closed: Wednesday
- Telephone: +39 055 214424
- Best for: Fiorentina, traditional Tuscan starters, pizza and a relaxed meal in the historic centre
Our Rating of I Ghibellini
Food: 9/10
The broad menu stays convincing because the strongest dishes remain firmly Tuscan.
Tuscan Starters: 9.2/10
Crostini, coccoli and polpettine give the opening section genuine Florentine character.
Pasta: 9/10
The old-style ragù is the dish to remember; carrettiera provides the sharper counterpoint.
Fiorentina and Beef: 9.2/10
Competitive pricing, strong cuts and minimal interference where it matters.
Pizza: 9/10
Wood-fired, generous and rooted in the restaurant’s original identity rather than added as an afterthought.
Seafood: 8.6/10
Competent and varied, though it is not the main reason to choose I Ghibellini.
Wine: 8.8/10
Tuscan reds are the natural route and pair easily with the restaurant’s strongest dishes.
Service: 8.9/10
Relaxed and efficient, with the right tone for a family-run restaurant.
Atmosphere: 9.2/10
The terrace on San Pier Maggiore gives the restaurant a sense of Florence without excessive theatre.
Value for Money: 9.4/10
The €12–€18 pasta range and €28 solo steak are particularly strong for this part of the city.
Overall Rating: 9.1/10
