THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF MY ONLINE INTRODUCTION TO FLORENCE CAN BE FOUND ONLINE AT INYOURPOCKET, ALONG WITH A TRANSPORT SECTION, VISA INFORMATION AND SO ON. MY THANKS TO THEM FOR LETTING ME REPRODUCE THE WORK COMMISSIONED FOR FLORENCE IN YOUR POCKET

Acqua al 2
Via della Vigna 40r, tel. 055 28 41 70/055 28 41 70. Open 19:30 - 01:00. £15 000 - 30 000.
Chelsea Clinton dined here. This impossibly busy, contemporary Italian restaurant is incredibly popular with well-to-do collegiate Americans, so much so that the owner has opened another in San Diego. If you don't mind auditing conversational gems such as "Like, ohmigod, aren't parents just like, so bogus?" while dining, this could be the place.

Alle Murate
Via Ghibellina 52r, tel. 055 24 06 18. Open 19:00 - 24:00. Closed Mon.
The management seem to view traditional Tuscan cuisine with a combination of mild derision and begrudging affection. Their piatti d'entrata are all priced at £40,000, while piatti di pesce (seafood dishes) and piatti di carne (meat dishes) are priced, respectively, at £55,000 and £50,000. Ask for a look at their wine cellar, praised by the Wine Spectator. The tables in the library-like salon are particularly suited for an intimate assignation.

Baldovino
Via San Giuseppe 18r, (Piazza Santa Croce), tel./fax 055 234 72 20, baldovino.beccofino@inwind.it. Open 12:00 - 24:00.
This is the powerhouse of the Baldovino/Beccofino restaurant empire, started by an enterprising Scot named David Gardner. The different pastel coloured rooms showcasing contemporary art, and busy atmosphere puts you in mind of a busy London brasserie. Baldovino owes its popularity with residents and visitors alike to its large, delicious salads, Neapolitan (that's thick crust) pizza, and service that moves along with a clip, and often a smile.

Caffè Concerto
Lungarno Cristoforo Colombo 7, tel. 055 67 73 77, fax 055 67 64 93, caffeconcerto@tiscalinet.it. Open 12:30 - 14:30, 19:30-23:00. Closed Sun.
At certain times during our lunch, we thought we had died and gone to restaurant heaven. Caffè Concerto offers diners a symphony of location, (a wooden building perched over the Arno) atmosphere (all warm wood and soft lights) and gastronomy. Order from their list of specialities, such as lamb pie and mixed cheese platter, you are unlikely to be disappointed. Finally, if your palate craves a change from a stream of chianti, they offer a truly international wine list. Non-smoking section available.

Enoteca Pinchiorri
Via Ghibellina 87, tel. 055 24 27 77/055 24 27 57, fax 055 24 49 83. Open 12:00 - 14:00, 19:00 - 22:00. Closed Mon, Sun, Tue afternoon 190000 - 230000.Either don't leave home without your plastic or bring your lire in a wheelbarrow. With two Michelin stars and a legendary wine cellar, L'Enoteca Pinchiorri is considered by the cogniscenti the finest restaurant in Italy. The restaurant is housed in a Renaissance Palazzo, with splendid entranceway, a scented courtyard, and a series of elegant dining rooms.

Harry's Bar and American Grill
Lungarno Vespucci 22r, tel. 055 239 67 00, fax 055 21 31 00. Open 12:00 - 15:00, 18:00 -23:00. Closed Sun.
Having visited the Harry's Bars of Paris and Venice, we had to stop in at the Florence establishment. Our findings? Well, to be assured of attentive service it helps to be young, rich, slender, American and female. The velvet bow tie wearing waiters here have raised smarmy condescension to an art form. We ordered possibly the most expensive carpaccio in Florence (at £49,000). It was we have to admit, delicious.

Buca dell'Orafo
Volta dei Girolami 28r, tel. 055 21 36 19. Open 12:30 - 14:30,19:30 - 22:00 . Closed Mon, Sun.
It is something of a surprise to discover an authentic Florentine family restaurant this close to the goldsmiths and jewellers of the Ponte Vecchio, but then 'The Jeweller's Hole' is nestled in the Volta dei Girolami, away from the trinket seeking glare of the souvenir hunter. Try the lasagne dell'Imperatore (Emperor's lasagne) at £18,000 for a hearty lunchtime snack. A carafe of house Chianti costs only £3,000. Dogs, if well groomed and behaved, are allowed. Bless.

Il Buongustaio
Via dei Cerchi 15r, tel. 055 29 13 04. Open 07:30 - 22:30. Closed Sun. evening
Amazing. When you consider that on some days there can be as many as 15 visitors to every Florentine, it is marvellous to find a cheap, wholesome, authentic luncheon place this close to Piazza della Repubblica and Piazza della Signoria. The fact that it doesn't look like much from the outside probably helps deter the less inquisitive.

La Vie en Rose
Borgo Allegri 68r, tel. 055 24 58 60. Open 19:30 - 24:00. Closed Tue
Non, ce n'est pas la cuisine francaise - the name could be slightly misleading. This is a medium-priced Italian restaurant with handwritten menus and a neighbourhood feel. The chef sometimes doubles as waiter, but will insist you down a complementary grappa before leaving.

Osteria dei Benci
Via de Benci 13r, tel. 055 234 49 23, fax 055 23 44 932. Open 13:00 - 14:45, 20:00 - 22:45. Closed Sun.
We had to wait 25 minutes for a nine o'clock serving, despite having made a reservation two days before. Once seated, all was well. Three people happily gorged themselves on primi and secondi piatti, including a huge serving of bistecca alla Fiorentina, and two bottles of Chianti. We could have left with change from £300,000 except that with the memory of our wait outside long behind us, it seemed churlish not to tip.

Osteria Del Boia (Executioner's Inn)
Via Ghibellina 70r, tel. 055 263 98 40. Open 12:00 - 15:00, 19:00 - 01:00.
You could choose worse places for a last meal and a final bottle of wine. The menu ranges from soups and snacks (such as Champagne with caviar for £18,000) to a smaller selection of meatier propositions. The service is excellent, and if you need to wait at the bar, you'll be presented with a complimentary glass of bubbly.

Osteria del Caffè ItalianoVia Isola delle Stinche 11/13r, tel. 055 28 93 68/055 28 90 20, fax 055 28 89 50, www.caffeitaliano.it. Open 12:30 - 14:30, 19:30 - 22:30. Closed Mon
Housed in a beautiful palazzo, the Osteria del Caffè Italiano is one of the most elegant places in Florence to enjoy upscale rustic Tuscan cuisine. The spacious dining rooms are easy on the eye, and the waiter's recommendation of a Chianti Classico was easy on the palate. Eating alone here needn't be an unpleasant experience. And mark those opening hours, meaning you can stop in for salami and prosciutto in between main meal serving times.

Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco
Borgo San Jacopo 43r, tel./fax 055 21 57 06, www.cinghialebianco.it. Open 12:00 - 14:30, 19:00 - 22:30. Closed Wed.
Cinghiale bianco translates to white wild boar, and the boar is a symbol of good luck in Florence. Sometimes you will need good luck just to get a table, because this place is popular with locals and tourists alike. The rustic-looking exterior, on a beautiful stretch of San Jacopo, and the multi-lingual staff draw in the city's visitors. The food keeps the Florentines coming back for more.

San Niccolò
Via San Niccolò 60r, tel. 055 234 28 36, fax 055 23 42 462. Open 12:15 - 15:00, 19:30 - 01:00. Closed Sun.
The more you explore Oltrarno, the area south of the Arno, the more gems you will unearth, and 'the ancient wine shop of Saint Nicholas' is definitely one of them. You can sit in the small area facing the street or under vaulted ceilings in the large cellar within. Choose from a handwritten menu, only in Italian. For an aperitif or nightcap nip across the street to Il Rifrullo.

Santo Spirito
Piazza San Spirito 16r, tel. 055 238 23 83, fax 055 21 97 85. Open 12:45 - 14:30, 19:45 - 23:30.
Hear the one about the tourists who went searching for Florence's earthier side in Santo Spirito and wound up at a restaurant where nary a Florentine accent could be heard? Never mind. Servings are huge, service friendly, and tables are pushed so close together, table talk becomes inevitable. Bring something interesting to say.

4 Leoni
Piazza della Passera - Via Vellutini 1r, tel. 055 21 85 62, fax 055 267 88 70, www.4leoni.com. Open 12:00 - 14:30, 19:30 - 23:00. £25 000 - 70 000.
In the charming area south of the Arno, somehow so authentically Florentine, is this large, friendly, rustic restaurant offering a wide selection of cold cuts and typically Tuscan cuisine. Anglophones take heart, the staff don't automatically respond in English to your Italian, though of course they're perfectly capable of doing so. Expect to pay around £40 000 each, (and that will include a carafe of house wine). One area of the trattoria is designated non-smoking.

Bordino
Via Stracciatella 9r, tel. 055 21 30 48. Open 12:00 - 14:30, 19:30 - 22:30. Closed Sun.
This may be one of the best value-for-money luncheon places in the whole of Florence, and it's only a few minutes walk uphill from the Ponte Vecchio in the Oltrarno. You can eat a two-course lunch for just £10 000, and drink a quarter litre of house Chianti for only £5 000. Coats of arms and vaguely martial-looking paraphernalia adorns Bordino's stone walls, and there's a round table centre stage in the dining room.

Mario
Via Rosina 2r, tel. 055 21 85 50. Open 12:00 - 15:15. Closed Sun. 15000 - 30000.
It's a bustling and unpretentious lunch spot, where the Colzi family have been keeping crowded tables of Florentine business people happy for 40 years. No frills, but nothing superflous either. A great place to go for something a bit more authentic. One a tiny street off San Lorenzo market.

Sabatino
Via Pisana 2r, tel. 055 22 59 55. Open 12:00 - 14:30, 20:00 - 22:30. Closed Sat, Sun
This is one of those places, like Mario in San Lorenzo, that one fervently hopes will never change. There's nothing fancy about the fare, and service can be brisk to a sometimes fast turnover of regular clientele, but it's never short of friendly. Servings are agreeably substantial, and you may find yourself lingering long enough to want to order dessert and coffee. Take bus N°6 one stop past the Porta San Frediano, or cross over Ponte Amerigo Vespucci to the Oltrarno, and turn right at Porta San Frediano.

Il Francescano
Largo Bargellini 16, (Piazza Santa Croce), tel./fax 055 24 16 05, baldovino.beccofino@inwind.it. Open 12:00 - 14:30, 19:15 - 23:00. Closed Tue. £35 000 - 55 000.
This used to be one of the most well-known restaurants in Florence, frequented by everyone from soccer and theatre stars to Hollywood icons. Then things took a long, slow nosedive. New management has kept some of the trappings of the good old days, but added a twist to the rustic Tuscan décor, and introduced some interesting new dishes such as Argentine steak, which might just be the Florentine meat-lover's alternative to bistecca alla Fiorentina.

La Baraonda
Via Ghibellina 67r, tel./fax 055 234 11 71, labaraonda@tin.it. Open 12:30 - 14:30, 19:30 - 22:30, Mon 19:30 - 22:30. Closed Sun. £35 000 - 65 000.
The décor is elegant simplicity itself with its white porcelain titles, tables set with immaculate tablecloths and important looking silverware. The menu is recited to you not written down, though you'll be presented with an extensive wine list. Their meatloaf in tomato sauce is renowned by Florentine foodies. Including a carafe of red wine, the bill came to £70 000 a head, which  seemed entirely reasonable.

La Pentola dell'Oro
Via di Mezzo 24r, tel. 055 24 18 21/055 24 18 08, www.terraditoscana.com. Open 19:30 - 23:30. Closed Sun.
As well as a view into the busy kitchen there's a placard that says 'Hannibal Dined Here' in the restaurant's entranceway. Brace yourself for slightly uncomfortable seating, but truly wonderful food. One standout is il peposo, a braised beef stew flavoured with black pepper and pears. The agnello (lamb) dishes are also superb, but perhaps Agent Starling you'd like to order from their vegetarian menu.