Eating in Tuscany

Laurieb01

New member
I am beginning to appreciate just how useful this forum is going to be in planning our trip next May. I am attempting to work out some kind of budget. Lodging, airfare, trains, car rentals are all easy and up front. Food, not so much. But I feel we need to have some kind of range for daily expenses.

There will be just 2 of us and we don't plan on going to any swanky restaurants. We want good food though, and I know there is plenty of it. We will be staying in a B&B in Greve, so breakfast will be taken care of. Is $100-150 per day realistic for lunch and dinner for 2 or should I go higher?

Thanks so much.
 
Buongiorno -

My experience is that most people will go for a starter and a pasta dish or a starter and a main course, so with that information I think with the range of prices below you will be able to set up a working budget..

Prices obviously vary according to the type of restaurant - but on the average:

starters go from 6-15 Euros (this really depends the complexity of the dish. Dishes that are samplers will cost more.)

pastas from 6-15 (this really depends on the ingredients --- truffles or porcini mushrooms will cost more)

main courses from 10-25 (this really depends on the ingredients --- for example meats accented with truffles or porcini mushrooms will cost more)

Unless you are really particular about your wines, you can normally drink the house wine and have a pleasant experience. you can get 1/2 a liter for 5-10 Euros depending on if it is Chianti, Brunello or table wine.

Your meals in Italy are normally al la carte which means if you want veggies there are on the side (4-10 Euros)

Desserts (mandatory.....no?) 5-8 Euros.....or you could just go for a gelato 2-4 Euros!! Personally I have a budget aside for gelato :)

I hope this helps you calculate a bit more - of course this is general but it should give you a bit of parameters. Keep in mind if you are eating the city center the prices will be a bit more and if you are in the countryside - maybe a bit less....

Buon Viaggio
 
Thanks!

Thank you DonnaDenise. That was precisely what I was looking for. A gelato budget sounds like a great idea, too. We will be staying in Greve but plan on day tripping around Tuscany, including Florence and Siena. We also are going to do a day in Pisa. We are in Greve for 7 nights then on to Casperia and Verona. We are doing a "base" in each area and exploring from there. We don't like unpacking and packing too much. Breakfast is included at all of our lodgings and I made sure it's not just always croissant and coffee - need some variety. We are looking very forward to the eating experience in Italy. I'm not huge on wine but I'm sure I'll learn.

Thanks again for the advice!

Laurie
 
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