When the late Fabio Picchi opened this restaurant in 1979, he caused a sensation by refusing to serve pasta. His reasoning? It was impossible to make a perfect plate of pasta in a busy restaurant kitchen. Instead, Picchi Iamazed his customers with a complex mixture of noble dishes that dated from the Renaissance like patè di fegatini, a dish that dates back to the Medicis, and the cucina povera, the foundation of Florentine cooking. The candlelit room, fresh flowers and formal service give the impression that you are eating at a classical French restaurant.