The Journey of the Bistecca alla Fiorentina: From Tuscan Fields to Private Terraces at Sunset

The embers glow beneath the grill, releasing an aroma that is at once primal and refined. A thick cut of marbled Chianina beef rests over the flames, sizzling softly as the evening breeze carries with it scents of rosemary and wood smoke. In Florence, the Bistecca alla Fiorentina is not just a dish. It is a ritual, a celebration of patience, fire and tradition, served in portions as generous as the Tuscan spirit itself.

Origins and History

The history of the Bistecca alla Fiorentina is inseparable from the history of Florence itself. Its name is said to date back to the 16th century, during the celebrations of San Lorenzo, when bonfires and open grills filled the city streets with the scent of cooking meat. English merchants passing through referred to the thick, bone-in cuts as “beef steaks,” a term that in Florence became “bistecca.”
The true star of the dish is the Chianina, one of the oldest and largest cattle breeds in the world, raised in the Val di Chiana for over two thousand years. Its meat is famed for its tenderness, flavor and distinctive marbling. Traditionally, the steak is cut thick – at least 4 to 5 centimeters – grilled over wood or charcoal, seasoned only with salt, pepper and a drizzle of Tuscan olive oil. Served rare, it embodies the Italian belief that the finest ingredients need the least interference.

Icons and Landmarks of Tuscany

Across Florence, historic trattorie and osterie have turned the Bistecca alla Fiorentina into an icon. Trattoria da Burde, open since 1901, serves it alongside a cellar of great Tuscan wines. Buca Lapi, the city’s oldest restaurant, offers it in an intimate, vaulted space beneath the Palazzo Antinori. In the countryside, estates like Osteria di Passignano in Chianti pair the steak with the estate’s own vintages, making the experience as much about the land as the meat itself.
Beyond Florence, the towns of Arezzo and Siena host their own celebrations of Chianina beef, where local butchers and chefs guard family traditions passed down for generations.

The Experience Today

Today, the Bistecca alla Fiorentina is both a dish and a destination. Visitors come to Tuscany not only to taste it but to understand the craft behind it – from the pastures where the cattle graze, to the cellars where the wines are aged, to the kitchens where fire meets meat in a timeless dance.
Some butchers offer private demonstrations, teaching the art of cutting and preparing the steak, followed by intimate dinners in hidden courtyards. Others open their wine cellars for pairings that transform the meal into a slow, lingering evening.

Sierra Signature: Residences and Private Experiences

With Sierra Signature, the Bistecca alla Fiorentina becomes more than a menu choice. It becomes an evening tailored entirely to you. Imagine starting with a private visit to a renowned Tuscan butcher, learning the secrets of selecting and aging Chianina beef. Then, return to your Florence residence – high ceilings, Renaissance details, windows framing the Duomo – where your private chef prepares the steak on your own terrace, as the sun sets over the terracotta rooftops.
Our residences are not hotels. They are homes of rare beauty, curated for those who want Florence to be theirs, even for a short time. Guests can choose between dining in, with a sommelier pairing each course, or venturing out to our handpicked osterie, where a table waits in the most discreet corner of the room.
Here, the Bistecca is not just eaten. It is lived – in the quiet luxury of a space that is entirely your own.

Poetic Closing

In Tuscany, fire does not rush. It waits, like the evening light on stone. And when the Bistecca alla Fiorentina is finally placed before you, it carries with it centuries of land, hands and hearths – and a moment that will stay with you long after the embers fade.