The Kosher Guide to Florence: Via Farini, the Great Synagogue and Where to Sleep for Shabbat
Florence differs from Rome and Milan in one way: everything a Shabbat-observant traveler needs sits on one street. Via Farini holds the Great Synagogue, the Jewish museum, a dairy restaurant and a meat restaurant, all within a few steps of each other. The Duomo and the Uffizi are a walk from there, which makes it the natural base for the whole visit.
The Great Synagogue and the Jewish Museum
The 1882 Tempio Maggiore (rated 4.8) stands at the heart of Via Farini, with a Jewish museum inside. Visits need a ticket - the synagogue is closed on Shabbat itself. To daven on Shabbat, register with the community ahead (jewishflorence.it) rather than just showing up.
See all optionsChabad Tuscany
Chabad Tuscany (rated 4.7), on Borgo Pinti, runs a minyan and Shabbat meals by advance booking. It is not a walk-in counter - write ahead, especially around holidays.
See all optionsWhere to eat: Ruth's and Ba'Ghetto
Ruth's (rated 4.5) is a dairy restaurant next to the synagogue since the 1990s, under Rav Piperno, Florence's Chief Rabbi - fish, vegetables and desserts. Across the street, Ba'Ghetto Firenze (4.3) is the Florence branch of the Rome family - a meat restaurant with artichokes and grill, under the Rabbanut of Florence. Book both ahead for Friday night, and check the certificate on the wall since Italian supervision is local to each city.
See all optionsWhere to stay
The rule of thumb in Florence: a hotel near Santa Croce or Via Farini itself, not on the Ponte Vecchio if you plan to walk on Shabbat. The Hotel NH Firenze, for example, is about a 15-minute walk from the Duomo and Farini, but has no kosher kitchen - eat at Ruth's or Ba'Ghetto, not at the hotel. For a search focused on the synagogue quarter, see the booking link on Florence's destination page on the site.
See all optionsThe Duomo and the Uffizi
The two main sites, the Duomo (4.8) and the Uffizi Gallery (4.7), are a walk from Farini. Neither has kosher food inside and both need advance tickets (the Uffizi's are timed) - eat on Farini before the queue, not after.
See all optionsBehind the synagogue there is a supermarket (Carrefour Express) with a kosher aisle for bread, cheese and Shabbat food - not the whole store, but enough for a light Shabbat tray. Florence works well for a two- or three-day visit, with all the kosher infrastructure concentrated on one street. Every address and exact hour is on BooKasher's full Florence destination page.
Stay in the kosher area of Florence
Florence does not have one obvious Jewish quarter. Chabad of Florence / Tuscany (Chabad house listed on the site) is the anchor - book a hotel within walking distance of it rather than picking a random part of Florence.
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