I love a good happy hour. An Italian happy hour is even better. Then again, what’s not to love? Cheap drinks. Cheap nibbles. And all before 5 o’clock.
On our first day in Northern Italy’s town of Florence we strolled aimlessly down the cobbled streets looking for some light fare and a glass of Italian vino. We asked a gentlemen moseying by where we could find just that and he pointed us in the direction of Note di Vino, “they have a traditional Italian Happy Hour”. And the birds started to sing. Really.
Italian happy hour was a top thing to do in Florence.
Note di Vino could quite possibly be the smallest bar I had ever been to with only a few tiny tables indoors. There was plenty of outdoor seating, but due to the cold weather, those seats were all vacant.
Bottles of Italian olive oils, jams, liquors and vinegar lined the walls. No space was wasted here. We grabbed the last seat and I pulled my chair an arms length away from the glass filled wall. I break things.
I assigned Peter the job of ordering the wine at the counter and picking up our complimentary Italian Happy Hour grub. I was confident in his ability to say “vino” and “grazie. Besides I wasn’t ready to test my cd-learned Italian just yet. Luckily, he came back to the table victorious.
The free munchies were a delicious trio of bruschetta; tomato, garlic oil and roasted vegetables. Forget dinner, I could have just made this and my glass of Chianti a meal.
Unsure of Italian Happy Hour etiquette, we did not go back for seconds. But, for the record, I wanted to. Really bad.
Have you ever been to an Italian Happy Hour? Or any other country?
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Wow that IS small haha!!! I've been to HH in Argentina many of times. 🙂
HH in Argentina had to be fun! I think I should make it a goal to go to a Happy Hour in every country possible 🙂
Those bruschetta sure look delish; and I can just imagine how well the Italina wine complimented them.
Yes, the perfect duo!
[…] We stumbled across our first Enoteca Wine Bar, Note Di Vino, and dived in for an Italian Happy Hour. The walls were lined with oils, vinegars and wines for sale. We took a seat at the tiniest […]
Thank you for a splendid lunch accompanied by a delicious Casa Chianti. A most welcoming, small establishment with a variety of balsamic vinegar, olive oils and local wines on show and for sale. Food prices are good but waiter services even better. A lovely little Florentine gem.
Note di Vino is my absolute favorite! We strolled there by accident on a New Year’s Eve and stayed until midnight! What an amazing time we had with the owners and the other guests. It’s seriously been our most memorable NYE ever! ❤️
I love this story!! It’s the best to have one of those unexpected, yet amazing, experiences!