Florence food revival
Florence’s iconic Harry’s Bar has officially reopened a new location on Via Il Prato after extensive renovations this weekend. The city’s Mercato Centrale also added Tuscan chocolatier Andrea Bianchini, signaling a substantive culinary refresh as Florence recovers its dining scene. (magentaflorence.com)
Harry’s Bar opened its new Via Il Prato site on the evening of December 12, 2025, with the venue’s contact page listing its Via Il Prato location as No. 40. (magentaflorence.com) The re-fit preserved original boiserie, Murano-glass lighting and the bar’s rose-tinted décor, and the reopening featured the same front-of-house team with manager Roberto Monsellato on duty. (magentaflorence.com) The return followed a roughly two-year closure of the Lungarno Vespucci site, and co-owner Antonio Bechi attended the launch while press accounts highlighted long-standing celebrity patrons such as Elizabeth Taylor, Franco Zeffirelli and Roger Moore. (ansa.it) Signature menu items carried over to the new space — including beef carpaccio and curried prawns — even as Harry’s Bar The Garden at the Sina Villa Medici hotel continues to operate as the brand’s poolside outpost. (magentaflorence.com) At Mercato Centrale, Tuscan chocolatier Andrea Bianchini has opened a dedicated stall (reported as “I Cioccolatini”) after a period away from the city centre, with his shop billed as offering pralines, cakes and innovative flavour pairings. (foodmoodmag.it) Bianchini — recognised in 2008 as Italy’s best chocolatier — is operating daily hours at the market (reported as 09:00–23:00, with extended service until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays) and produced mimosa-shaped pralines for International Women’s Day (March 6–8, 2026). (magentaflorence.com) The market has also scheduled a cacao-focused masterclass led by Bianchini on March 26, 2026, at the Mercato Centrale cooking school, positioning his arrival as part of a series of culinary events at the venue. (mercatocentrale.com)
