"Giovanni Latini carries a family food trade dating to 1898 — book L'Osteria di Giovanni for bistecca fiorentina and hand-rolled pici near Santa Maria Novella."
L'Osteria di Giovanni opened in 2004 on Via del Moro, a few minutes from Santa Maria Novella, run by Giovanni Latini with his American wife Carole and daughters Caterina and Chiara. The Latini name goes back to an 1898 Florentine wine-and-cheese shop that became the celebrated trattoria Il Latini around the corner, and the family keeps that tradition here. A full Tuscan meal lands around €45 a head before wine.
The kitchen holds to the Tuscan canon, including older recipes that have fallen out of fashion elsewhere. The bistecca alla fiorentina — the thick, charred Chianina T-bone — is the headline, alongside hand-rolled pici with ragù, ribollita, and seasonal plates that follow the market. Cooking is generous and unfussy rather than precious.
The room is warm and traditional, with the easy hospitality of a family that has fed Florence for generations and a Tuscan wine list to match. It suits a long, relaxed dinner more than a quick turn.
For an anniversary or a first dinner in Florence, L'Osteria di Giovanni is the dependable Tuscan choice: bistecca, pici and a family welcome a short walk from the station and the Arno.
Not for diners chasing modern, minimalist tasting menus or light eating — this is hearty, traditional Tuscan cooking built around grilled steak and pasta, served in generous portions.
Giovanni Latini, with his wife Carole and daughters Caterina and Chiara, has run it since 2004. The Latini family's food trade in Florence dates back to an 1898 wine-and-cheese shop.
Traditional Tuscan cooking, led by bistecca alla fiorentina — the charred Chianina T-bone — alongside hand-rolled pici, ribollita and seasonal dishes from older Tuscan recipes.
A full Tuscan meal runs around €45 per person before wine, though the bistecca is priced by weight and can lift the bill into the $$$ range for a shared steak.
It is at Via del Moro 22r in Florence's centro storico, a few minutes' walk from Santa Maria Novella and the train station.
Yes. The same Latini family runs the historic Il Latini trattoria nearby; L'Osteria di Giovanni was opened in 2004 as a separate Tuscan room by Giovanni Latini.
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