We love the entry to this bar. From the mental chaos of central Florence, with tourists and motorbikes flying at you from every direction, slip down a shady cobbled street, to discover the grand lobby of the Hotel Torre Guelfa. Tell the concierge that you’ve come for drinks, and they will direct you. Take the lift to the third floor, through the library, after which you find an old, rickety staircase, hugging the tower walls, which slowly climbs (72 steps in total) to the top. This tower is one of the tallest and most historic in the city, built around the 13th Century, and isn’t a spot for vertigo sufferers or the weak-legged.

At the top, you’re instantly transported into a calm world, with breathtaking panoramic views of every significant monument in the city. You’ll need a drink just to take it all in, though around sunset a lot of other people have the same idea too, and it’s small.

There is no actual bar here per se, but they have a small drinks menu. We recommend you go for a Campari Spritz with a slice of peach. You'll be brought nuts and nibbles too, we got so carried away with the beauty of it all, we were late for our dinner reservation. Those stairs should not be descended in a hurry.
NB: It’s cash only, and you don’t want to do those stairs twice if you forget.