Florence has incredible plant-based options if you know where to look beyond the fake-meat tourist restaurants near the Duomo. Several vendors at Mercato Centrale (first floor food court) offer creative vegetable-focused dishes that understand Tuscan flavors without just removing pancetta from everything.

For dinner, Universo Vegano near Santa Croce does creative plant-based versions of Italian classics that feel properly Florentine, not health food. Konnubio in Santo Spirito creates vegetable-focused plates using local Tuscan ingredients. Many smaller trattorias in Oltrarno have embraced plant-based cooking using traditional recipes in recent years.

Many classic Florentine dishes are naturally plant-based - ribollita (bread and bean soup), pappa al pomodoro (tomato bread soup), fagioli all'uccelletto (white beans in tomato sauce). Just ask restaurants like Trattoria Mario or Il Giova to prepare them without pancetta or lardo - most are happy to accommodate since these are peasant dishes originally made without expensive meat.