Pistoia
This warm, vibrant cafe with its own bakery (superb breads) and flowery courtyard garden buzzes with local life. Sip an espresso at the bar, chat with…
Must-see nightlife in Northwestern Tuscany
Lucca
With a giant canvas cream parasol providing shade and a tinkling stone fountain the atmospheric soundtrack, cafe terraces don't get much better than this…
Northwestern Tuscany
Taste fine Tuscan wine on bar stools at high wooden tables or beneath big parasols on the street outside. Whichever you pick, the distinctly funky, arty…
Lucca
Food pairings with fine wine and bubbles is the speciality of this glamorous enoteca (wine bar), champagneria (champagne cellar) and bistro in central…
Pisa
This trendy cafe stares face to face with Tuttomondo (1989), a mural on the facade of a Pisan church – and the last mural American pop artist Keith Haring…
Pisa
Chill in peace over a love heart–topped cappuccino, French-press coffee, Nutella-flavoured frappuccino or iced americano at this speciality coffee shop…
Northwestern Tuscany
Be it lunch at noon (meals €20), afternoon snacks, a cocktail-fuelled apericena (meal-sized aperitivo buffet from 6pm) or dinner with fine wine, this…
Pistoia
This retro 'bunker' lures a fashionable set with its vintage furnishings. Everything, from the colourful 1950s formica tables to travelling chests…
Pisa
Tuck into an end-of-day sugar doughnut and cappuccino or an early-evening aperitivo at a glass-topped table filled with artists’ crayons perhaps, or a…
Lucca
With an unexpected view of the cathedral‘s crenellated bell tower and tree-shaded tables snug against ancient red-brick walls, this wall-top lounge bar is…
Pistoia
'Everything is going to be all right' is the strapline of this hip bar and bistro. And indeed, be it shelling free peanuts around a wooden table in the…
Northwestern Tuscany
'Beer & Anchovies' is the enticing name of this uber-cool craft-beer shop, its pocket-sized interior packed to the rafters with craft beers from Tuscany…
Pisa
Squat on a bench outside or grab a pew inside this funky riverside tap room, the creation of three ale-loving Pisan students: Matteo, Davide and Francesco…
Pisa
A dedicated all-rounder, Bazeel is a hotspot from dawn to dark. Laze over breakfast, linger over a pizza or hang out with the A-list crowd over a generous…
Northwestern Tuscany
Be it for morning coffee, a lunchtime snack or an after-work aperitivo, this attractive cafe and tabaccheria (tobacconist’s shop) just down from the main…
Pisa
Kick back with Pisan cool cats at this edgy literary cafe with a red-brick vaulted ceiling, achingly cool vintage furnishings and a laid-back lounge vibe…
Northwestern Tuscany
Lounge with hip locals at Lettera 22, a refreshingly stylish and up-to-the-minute literary cafe between the beach and the train station with free wi-fi,…
Northwestern Tuscany
Quench your thirst at the end of the day with a craft beer at Prato's highly regarded birrificio artigianale (artisan brewery), headed up by female brewer…
Pisa
This old-fashioned cake shop has been tempting Pisans into sugar-induced wickedness since 1898. It's an equally lovely spot for a cocktail – any time…
Pistoia
This old-world cafe and pasticceria (pastry shop), with genteel waiting staff dressed in black ties and suits, is a lovely spot to drink coffee and eat…
Northwestern Tuscany
A good deal of the waterfront area as it appears today was built in the 1920s and '30s. Several of the buildings, such as Puccini's favourite, Gran Caffè…
Antica Pasticceria Fronte della Rocca
Northwestern Tuscany
This historic cake shop and chocolate-maker has been the hub of local life since 1885. Its atmospheric pavement terrace was clearly designed with 'go slow…
