Double Delight: Dining, Brunch & Art Experiences

 

Florence is the city of singularity and uniqueness; it has Renaissance masterpieces found nowhere else. But, if you spend enough time in the city, another pattern emerges – doubles! Across the city, restaurants, brunch spots and art shows provide twin experiences which echo each other but are never fully identical. 

WILD BUNS

Since September 2022, the decadent smell of warm pastries, sugar and cinnamon has wafted out onto Via di Camaldoli, the first home of Wild Buns. This Scandinavian bakery in the Oltrarno neighbourhood was established by Estonian baker Robert Marrandi, who had spent years in Florence prior, doing pop-up locations. 

A Nordic minimalist interior the of café, with plants hanging throughout and only black-and-white furniture, serves to create a calm retreat where the decoration is in harmony with the natural lighting of the space. 

The menu is filled with both Scandinavian staples and popular delicacies enjoyed elsewhere across the globe. The Nordic buns have a variety of flavours from the classic cinnamon and cardamom to salted caramel and chocolate ones. A stop at Wild Buns is not complete without having their specialty coffee, which uniquely in Florence is also served with oat milk! Match, the Japanese drink which has taken the world by storm, is also on the menu.  

Brunch is taken seriously by Wild Buns, who offer soughdough sandwiches and toast accompanied by salmon, eggs, avocado and edam. Yoghurt bowls, porridge and pancakes cater to those with a sweeter tooth. 

On the other side of the city, on Via Giuseppe Giusti, Wild Buns’ new location was opened in late 2025. 

Maintaining the same minimalist design and extensive brunch menu, this second space feels like the quieter, more relaxed twin. Along with a larger interior, this spot offers outdoor seating – allowing more guests space to linger and a gentler, more leisurely setting. 

Though the new location rarely stays quiet for long, it is perfect for a slow-paced summer day where brunch stretches into the afternoon over a table of sweet buns and coffee.  

MELALEUCA

If you happen to be walking along Lungarno delle Grazie at any point in the day, you will notice the long queues and crowds gathered around Melaleuca – an Australian owned café. 

Famous for its American style indulgent cinnamon buns, lathered with sweet cream on top, this spot has been popular with locals and tourists alike since its opening in 2020, despite the COVID outbreak. 

Brunch plates inspired by North American classics – stacks of pancakes, New York bacon egg and cheese bagels, and even South American beef birria tacos – ensure there is something for everyone. Lighter options, such as radicchio-pomegranate salads or classic eggs on toast, are also available.

Melaleuca has cultivated a relaxed atmosphere, with neutral tones, light wooden tables and chairs, and minimal decoration – it’s a fresh, uncluttered space. 

Opening shortly, a new location on Piazza degli Ottaviani 1 will bring the same much-loved menu to a new part of the city. Situated in the centre of Florence, surrounded by American colleges and galleries, this twin is certain to make its presence known. 

ROTHKO EXPERIENCE

With the opening of the Rothko exhibition in Palazzo Strozzi, a Rothko-mania has taken over the city. The exhibition spans across multiple locations, with the art found in San Marco Museum, and the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana as well as its central location. 

The American- Russian artist Rothko, known for inspiring quiet, contemplative reflection – where the human psyche and emotions are interrogated, has turned viewing into a deeply personal experience. 

In 1971, Houston, Texas, a chapel dedicated to the artist’s work was opened. The imposing octagonal brick building is adorned by Rothko’s large-scale, dark-hued canvases, creating a place where silence, introspection and reflection feel unavoidable. 

Across the Atlantic, the chapel’s twin can be found inside the Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella in Florence, where Rothko’s vision is reimagined through a different sensory language. 

Built in 1221 by Dominican friars, the complex was at first a medicinal centre where the friars cultivated plants, preparing remedies for the sick. In an adjacent garden to the complex, herbs and flowers were turned into ointments, balms, elixirs and smelling oils. 

 The once apothecary is nowadays a perfumery and herbalist shop, attracting shoppers from around the world, luring them in with the refined scents and plant-based concoctions native to Florence.  

The building’s sacristy, once used as storage for the friar’s distilled water, was decorated with frescos by Mariotti di Nardo between 1385 and 1405. The gothic-esque walls tracing the chronological stories of the Passion of Christ were restored in 2012. 

A twin to Houston’s chapel, the sacristy provides a similar place for guests to delve into introspection. Instead of relying on Rothko’s canvases and colour, the sacristy uses sound and scent to reach a similar state of mind.  In both Houston and Florence, the classical compositions of Morton Feldman play in the background, serving to slow the mind of the visitor down and draw them away from the pace of everyday life. Feldman’s quiet, intimate sound, using sparse instrumentation and muted chords in combination with di Nardo’s frescoes, as in Houston, provides a space for stillness, calm and an emotional journey. 

HARRY’S BAR

Harry’s Bar (pictured above) has been a key establishment in Florence since its first location on Via Parione in 1953. After 10 years it moved to Lungarno Vespucci, where it remained welcoming locals and tourists alike until 2023. 

Over the decades, Harry’s Bar has attracted famous actors and directors such as Franco Zeffirelli, Elizabeth Taylor and Sir Roger Moore, who all appreciate the timeless elegance and classic menu of the bar. 

Opening in 2023, Harry’s Bar, The Garden, opened within the five-star hotel Sina Villa Medici on Via Il Prato 40. In continuation with their style since 1953, the space is decorated with dark glossy wooden tables, rosy pink walls and tablecloths, and iconic mid-century modern 1950s movie posters – a fusion of Italo-American aesthetics. 

The drinks menu is vast, including extensive lists of wines from around Italy, and decadent cocktail classics from the Bellini and Negroni to Moscow ules and daiquiris. The highlight of the menu is their variety of seafood plates such as their king prawn flambé, grilled octopus and baked sea bream, in addition to Tuscan classics such as the bistecca and fettuccine with ragù.

Just minutes away, on Via Il Prato 54, the second location was opened in December 2025. With the same interior design and menu, this new space expands the setting, allowing more guests to enjoy the signature elegance of the bar. 

The relaxed yet refined environment of both locations reflects the Florence that is less about reinvention but more about the preservation of tradition, offering a timeless experience.  (Ariela Cabut)