“Traditional Florence cooking is... a poor kitchen, and making use of everything,” says chef Guiseppe Imparato of Florence's elegant Il Salviatino hotel, a former private estate which looks down on the grand city from its northeastern hills.

The hotel's restaurant serves a variety of local specialties, highlighted by a three-course Firenze tasting menu. The decadent meal is capped by a traditional steak Florentine, also known as bistecca alla Fiorentina, expertly carved tableside and then drizzled with olive oil. Cooked to just barely medium rare, with the smallest size clocking in at about 1,300 grams, or nearly three pounds, the luscious, rich meat will send you into the type of food coma that vacations are made for.