When thinking of classic Italian foods a few staples come to mind, one being the panini (or panino as I’ve been told). Although I’ve been told time and time again of the greatest places to get a panini in Florence, I keep making the mistake of just getting whatever is on the way. However, doing this has introduced me to some incredible paninis.

One of my favorite paninis comes from a little restaurant on my way home from class. Amici de Ponte Vecchio doesn’t look like anything special but has an incredible ham, cheese and truffle panini (among others). I didn’t plan on stopping in as I assumed it would be a nicely located place that served subpar sandwiches (which I’ve unfortunately found a few too many times). However, as my roommate and I were looking at the outdoor menu the owner handed us a bread sample with a smile. I took it expecting the bland, dry bread I’ve come to find in many places around Florence. I was pleasantly surprised to taste the incredible bread and immediately went inside. The panini I ordered was great and was fairly priced as well.

Another panini place I’ve visited due to its proximity to my apartment is Gustapanino. This was another pleasant surprise as they have a menu with both burgers, paninis and piadinas, all of which seem to be very good. It’s also reasonably priced and located on piazza Santo Spirito making it easy to grab a panini and eat it on the square.

Over spring break I had visitors come to Florence. After I took them to the duomo they quickly asked what was for lunch hoping for something nearby. I realized I had no idea where to take them in that area and searched google maps for top rated panini places around the duomo. I saw that Panani Toscani had good reviews so we went there. This was definitely my favorite panini experience, although not my favorite sandwich. The line outside was fairly long and they let a few people in at a time. Once in the small shop, a man behind the counter started explaining a cheese to us as he handed everyone a sample. Each person was given four cheese and four meat samples so that when it was time to order you could tell them what meat and cheese you wanted from the samples, as well as three additional toppings. I was surprised that the samples and fairly large panini only cost 6 euro.

Although it was my favorite experience, panini toscani was my least favorite sandwich. This may have just been because I didn’t pick the best toppings because the bites I tried from others were terrific. Gustapanino and amici di Ponte Vecchio both are smaller venues that are reasonably priced and have great sandwiches. I have yet to try some of the more well known panini places in Florence but have found that you usually can’t go wrong with a panino.