The buca in the name is literal — you descend stairs into a Renaissance-era cellar where the vaulted stone ceilings press low and the air holds the damp cool of centuries. In a city saturated with historical architecture, this cellar earns its claim because you are drinking in it, not looking at it through glass. The bartenders take the negroni seriously, as they should in the city where Count Camillo Negroni allegedly first ordered one, and the cocktail list extends into well-executed classics that suit the subterranean gravity of the room. The dim lighting is not a design choice; it is what happens when your bar is underground.
Location
Centro Storico, Florence
Map
Insider Intel
A negroni, obviously — you are underground in Florence and the drink was born here. Buca 10 makes a proper version with quality vermouth and gin that respects the equal-parts architecture. After that, a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned: the kind of drinks that suit cellars and low ceilings. The amaro selection for a closing digestivo is well curated.
From 9pm onward when the cellar's atmosphere intensifies with candlelight and bodies. The underground temperature is constant year-round, making this a refuge from summer heat and winter rain alike. Weekday evenings are less crowded and the acoustics — stone bounces sound — remain conversational.
Via Fiesolana 8, near Santa Croce — the entrance is a staircase down from street level, easy to miss if you are not looking. The cellar is genuine Renaissance construction, not a themed bar with applied stonework. Capacity is limited by the architecture and when it fills, it fills. No reservations. Cocktails are eight to twelve euros — fair for the centre. The steep stairs are not accessible for anyone with mobility concerns. Card and cash accepted.