Florence · San Lorenzo & Mercato Centrale

Trattoria Mario

Legendary lunch-only trattoria near San Lorenzo market operating since 1953.

About Trattoria Mario

Legendary lunch-only trattoria near San Lorenzo market operating since 1953. Communal marble tables, paper placemats, and Florentines queuing for ribollita and bistecca. No reservations, cash only, closes at 3:30pm sharp.

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The details

Practical bits

WalkingMinimal walking

The place

Getting there

Address

Via Rosina, 2r, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy

Neighborhood

San Lorenzo & Mercato Centrale →

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Good to know

Tips, answered

Arrive by 12:15pm to avoid the 45-minute queue, and order the daily special written on the blackboard rather than browsing the menu.

Plan for about 1 hour.

Trattoria Mario is in the San Lorenzo & Mercato Centrale neighborhood of Florence. The address is Via Rosina, 2r, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy. The area is well-served by metro.

This works well at any time of day, though mornings tend to be quieter. Weekdays are less crowded than weekends.

Closed on Sunday. Check the official website for holiday closures and special hours.

Around the corner

Nearby in San Lorenzo & Mercato Centrale

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Museum

Basilica di San Lorenzo & Medici Chapels

San Lorenzo is the parish church of the Medici family, rebuilt by Brunelleschi from 1419, and the complex includes some of Michelangelo's most important architectural and sculptural work. The church (EUR 9.50) has Brunelleschi's Old Sacristy and Michelangelo's New Sacristy (also called the Medici Chapel), where the tombs of Lorenzo and Giuliano de' Medici are crowned by Michelangelo's allegorical figures of Day, Night, Dawn, and Dusk. The staircase leading to the Laurentian Library (EUR 9.50 separate or combined) was designed by Michelangelo and is considered a mannerist masterpiece - the staircase flows like a cascade of stone. The outdoor leather market around the church is commercial but lively.

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Tour

Siena Day Trip from Florence

Siena is 75 km south of Florence and 75 minutes by bus (SENA/Tiemme express, EUR 9 one way, book online). The Piazza del Campo is the most beautiful public square in Italy - a shell-shaped medieval square surrounded by palaces on three sides and the Palazzo Pubblico on the fourth. The Duomo of Siena is more ornate and more personal than the Florentine cathedral, with the Piccolomini Library (EUR 4 supplement) containing 15th-century Pinturicchio frescoes that are remarkable. The Pinacoteca has Duccio and Simone Martini, the founders of Sienese painting. The city is car-free in the centro storico and easy to navigate on foot. Allow a full day - take the 8:30 AM bus, return on the 6 PM or 7 PM bus.

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Museum

Cenacolo di Sant'Apollonia

This tiny former convent houses Andrea del Castagno's 1447 Last Supper fresco, one of Renaissance art's most psychologically intense works. You'll find yourself face to face with a masterpiece that influenced Leonardo da Vinci himself. The fresco covers an entire wall of what was once the Benedictine nuns' dining hall, showing Judas isolated on the viewer's side of the table while the other apostles react with shock and anger. The painted marble backdrop and brutal emotional realism make this work more raw and powerful than most religious art in Florence. The museum consists of just two small rooms, making your visit intimate and focused. You'll have the fresco mostly to yourself, able to study every detail of the apostles' expressions and Castagno's revolutionary perspective techniques. The silence in the former refectory adds gravity to the scene. Above the Last Supper, three smaller frescoes show the Crucifixion, Deposition, and Resurrection, completing the narrative. Most guidebooks barely mention this place, which keeps crowds away but means you might walk right past it. Admission is completely free, making it one of Florence's best art bargains. The visit takes 20 minutes maximum, so don't plan your whole morning around it. Pair it with the nearby Mercato Centrale or use it as a quiet break between the chaos of San Lorenzo's markets.

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Tour

Florencephototour

This golden hour photography workshop takes you to Florence's most photogenic spots with actual professional photographers who know the technical side inside out. You'll hit Piazzale Michelangelo for the classic skyline shot, then move to Ponte Vecchio and along the Lungarno Torrigiani as the light changes. They provide camera equipment if you don't have your own, and the instruction covers real technical skills like HDR, manual exposure, and composition tricks that work specifically in Florence's tricky lighting. The 2.5 hour session follows the light as it changes, starting before sunset and continuing into blue hour. Your guide positions the group at each location's sweet spots and actually demonstrates settings on your camera rather than just talking theory. The pace feels relaxed but purposeful, moving between viewpoints as the light shifts from golden to deep blue. You'll end up with genuinely better photos than the usual tourist snapshots, plus you'll understand why certain settings work. Most photography tours rush through too many locations, but this one gets the timing right by focusing on just three prime spots. The guides are working photographers, not just tour leaders with cameras, which shows in their technical advice. Book directly through their basement office to avoid markup from booking sites. Skip this if you're already comfortable with manual camera settings, the instruction level is aimed at enthusiastic beginners to intermediate photographers.

2.5 hoursExplore

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