The 6 Best Independent Bookstores in Tuscany

This independent bookstore is a little oasis located in an isolated street close Ponte alle Grazie, Florence. Libreria Brac is not only a bookshop, but also a café, contemporary art space and vegetarian restaurant, serving delicious seasonal vegetarian and vegan food, plus fabulous cakes. The space is big and divided into three different parts. There is the entrance with bar and many books about food, cooking, and art. From there you walk into the courtyard where you can relax with a drink or eat some finger food, and the last room is the spacious restaurant. You have plenty of choices of books but if you want to combine literature and food, then there is nowhere better. Remember that on Sundays there’s a special brunch menu, but it gets popular so it’s worth booking.

Located in the Oltrarno area, which has been recently nominated as the most lively neighbourhood in the world, La Cite is mostly frequented by Florentines who come here to sip a coffee, have a beer, read a book or watch a band. This hipster bookstore/pub/café is the perfect place for book lovers and music fans. During the day La Cite is used by students looking to work and study, but come nightfall it turns into an alternative pub.

One of the most recent additions to the Florentine bookshop industry (it opened three years ago), Black Spring is an independent bookshop plenty of titles and refreshments. The store is beautifully decorated with artistic photos, paintings and drawings, made by local artists who decorate the bookshop’s walls. Enjoy your purchases in the company of a good cup of coffee or organic tea. Black Spring also hosts regular events, including readings, book presentations, workshops, meetings and more.

Far from the crowds of tourists busy admiring the leaning tower of Pisa, Caffè Letterario Volta Pagina is a nice independent bookstore. The store has a sitting room where you can relax, read a book, listen to music, while sipping a cup of tea or a refreshing drink. This café is more than a place to hang out, it is also a location used by local artists to exhibit their work, and also where Tuscan bands come to play live music. Sometimes Volta Pagina hosts also ethnic dinners to discover food and drink from all over the world.

Arezzo is not the typical Tuscan town frequented by tourists, but beyond its nice central square there is another great reason to come here: Libri Antichi e Rari. This bookshop is a paradise for those who are looking for rare books, as it has a large selection of antique volumes and manuscripts dating all the way back to the 16th century. The books are from the private collection of the owners who assembled an impressive assortment of rarities.