Tuscany Food Tours
Tuscany’s food is cucina povera done well: unsalted bread, bean soups, hand-cut pasta, pecorino, salumi and grilled Chianina, eaten in markets and trattorie that haven’t changed their menus in decades. This page compares the top-rated food tours across the region: market-to-table walks in Florence, pici and panforte in Siena, buccellato and olive oil in Lucca, and full-day countryside tours that string together a cheese farm, a butcher and a winery.
City walks: Florence’s Sant’Ambrogio market and Oltrarno, Siena’s pici and panforte, Lucca’s buccellato and oil. Three hours, six to ten tastings, no dinner needed.
Countryside days: a pecorino dairy near Pienza, a Chianti butcher, an olive mill and a winery lunch, from Florence or Siena.
What you’ll eat: crostini, ribollita, pici, lampredotto in Florence, pecorino at three ages, finocchiona, schiacciata, cantucci with Vin Santo, gelato.
Food tours in Tuscany: city walks and countryside days
Tuscan food is easy to eat badly in a tourist square and easy to eat brilliantly two streets away, which is what a food tour is for. In the cities, tours are three-hour walks through a market and a neighbourhood with six to ten tastings; in the countryside they are full days that link a cheese farm, a butcher and a winery. Both kinds are listed here; for Florence in detail see Florence food tours.
Florence
The Sant’Ambrogio market in the morning, the Mercato Centrale at San Lorenzo, and the artisan streets of the Oltrarno at sunset are the three classic routes. Expect lampredotto from a cart, schiacciata from a bakery, pecorino and finocchiona from a deli counter, a glass of Chianti and a gelato. Florence has the most food tours in Tuscany and the most competition, so ratings matter.
Siena, Lucca and Pisa
Siena’s tours run on pici pasta, ricciarelli almond biscuits and panforte, with Cinta Senese pork from the hills around; Lucca’s on tortelli, buccellato bread and the delicate local olive oil; Pisa’s on cecina, the chickpea flatbread. All three are calmer than Florence and suit travellers staying there. See Siena, Lucca and Pisa.
Countryside food tours
Full-day tours from Florence or Siena string together the producers: a pecorino dairy near Pienza, a Chianti butcher, an olive mill, a winery for lunch. They are the best way to taste Chianina beef and Pienza cheese at source, and they overlap with our wine tours; choose by whether food or wine leads the day.
What you’ll eat
Crostini with chicken-liver pâté, ribollita and pappa al pomodoro, pici with ragù or cacio e pepe, lampredotto and trippa in Florence, bistecca alla fiorentina (usually as a tasting, not a whole steak), pecorino at three ages, finocchiona and prosciutto, schiacciata, cantucci with Vin Santo, and gelato. Tours vary, but you will not leave hungry.
Morning or evening?
Morning tours see the markets working and finish with lunch; evening tours are lighter on markets and heavier on wine, aperitivo and atmosphere. If you can only do one, morning in Florence for the market, evening in the Oltrarno for the wine.
Dietary needs and walking
Vegetarian versions exist on most tours if you ask when booking; vegan and gluten-free are harder but possible in Florence. City tours walk two to three kilometres over three hours with plenty of stops.
Read next: Tuscan dishes explained · 5 days in Tuscany for food & wine
How we choose
We list only experiences with a strong rating over a meaningful number of reviews and free cancellation where available, and we favour small-group and family-run hosts. FindEatLocal earns a commission when you book through GetYourGuide or Viator links on this page; it doesn’t change the price you pay. More about how we choose.
FAQ about Tuscany Food Tours
Frequently asked questions
Why book a food tour in Tuscany?
Because the difference between a tourist-square lunch and the trattoria two streets away is enormous, and a food tour shows you which is which for the rest of your stay.
Is a Tuscany food tour worth it?
Yes, if it replaces a meal and teaches you where to eat for the rest of your stay. Good tours do both.
How much food is included?
Enough to replace lunch or dinner; six to ten tastings is typical.
Are there vegetarian food tours?
Most tours can adapt; some Florence tours are vegetarian by design. Say so at booking.
Which is the best neighbourhood in Florence for a food tour?
Sant’Ambrogio for the market and locals, the Oltrarno for artisans and aperitivo, San Lorenzo for the Mercato Centrale.
Are food tours good for children?
Morning market tours are; evening wine-led tours less so. Check the minimum age.