By Helen Kershaw(Manchester, UK) Email:elen_kershaw@hotmail.co.uk

>> Visit also: "The Kersh's Korner: Bars in Florence :: Part 1 "

Zoe [San Niccolò district]

Zoe seems to have earned a reputation amongst some Florentines as a bar attracting a somewhat supercilious clientele, yet I would argue that whilst it is certainly not overrun by drunken foreigners causing unwanted havoc, it doesn’t carry the pretentious air that some would have you believe.
Located on the Oltrarno in the vicinity of San Niccolo, Zoe is in fact a very cool bar attracting patrons who prefer to mingle with a chicer crowd without the affectation of air found in the regulars of some other “it” bars. The neon red Zoe sign is clearly visible from far away and glows beacon-like alluringly, and upon arrival, the venue itself will not disappoint. Chrome furnishings give it a sleek, defined modernity, whilst the quirky touches (the loos here are not only refreshingly clean for Italy, but designed- a real rarity) set it apart. It is a charming place to pass an evening indulging in a good Mojito or a well-selected wine chosen from an extensive list, aperitivo here is amongst the best on offer in terms of quality and variety, although it can tend to run out fairly quickly without sufficient replenishment to cope with the number of people.

Open all week, early evening till late, you can find good music, a great crowd and excellent service.

Negroni [San Niccolò district]

Directly next-door to Zoe, one would not be surprised if one outweighed the other by a huge margin. However, rather than compromise one another, they instead act as mutual complements. Whilst Zoe may be justly considered to be more “hip”, Negroni maintains a certain esteem amongst Italians as a tasteful retreat to mix with likeminded sophistocrats.

Also sporting an outdoor seating area, a more organic feel is emulated here through the use of natural materials in it’s décor. There are always people spilling out and around, but it would be nay on impossible to see brazen displays of drunkenness. It’s just not that kind of place.

Not a place for poseurs, yet ironically an excellent place to network and people watch. There are some faces you can’t help but see time and time again on the Florence circuit; this place is their kind of base.

Well recommended- just don’t ruin it by making a drunken fool of yourself.

Angels [Duomo district]

Angels is a contemporary aesthetic treasure situated in the real heart of the city on Via del Proconsolo, directly facing the Bargello. Passing itself elegantly as an exquisite restaurant with regard the tastes of both the palate and the eye, the cocktails and aperitivo available from 6pm in the adjacent bar are a sumptuous delight (try the Sake Mojito- it’s divine).

If interior design spoke the words of a place, Angels would define itself in words deserving of its beatific name. A solemn romanticism is created through a fusion of white lightness, voile and frosting, and yet is fortified with strong angles and dimmed lighting, corrupting the purest of colours with the most devious of twists.
The writer particularly favours this bar owing to its antithetical poesy, and also because the generous potency and aesthetic perfection of their drinks help one along nicely in daydream allusions of movie-stardom, and sensations of the heart-racing sentiments of a doomed love affair, so perfect to envision whilst sipping one’s Kir Royal.

A fabulous variety of music brought by a variety of regular DJs, a chilled international crowd, an atmosphere of élan. This place cannot come recommended highly enough.

Savvy staff, decadent décor and an unparalleled easy atmosphere even when full are what make Angels unmissable.

Angie’s Pub [Duomo district]

Not to be confused with its near-namesake located a stones’ throw away, Angie’s is a popular hangout for anyone and everyone alike- anything goes.
A decorative and delightfully colourful façade concords with the evident weather-beaten character located within- a charming plethora of personages have patently passed through and left remnants of their drunken happiness here as they stumbled away into the night- the atmosphere created here makes it difficult to feel anything but pleasure.

It doesn’t proclaim itself to be a “cool bar”- there are more than enough of these dotted around everywhere else. Instead, what the punter will get is an honest, welcoming watering-hole, sports channels and lots of old bar stools on which to prop themselves and babble away whilst getting involved with another bevy or two.

I have never walked past Angie’s and found it closed, so one can presume it’s open all day…? (if I am wrong- please say!) Always buzzing with locals and foreigners alike, there is a harmony here which insists that this place will be one of the first, loyal friends you make in Florence.

The Blob Club [Santa Croce/Duomo district]

The writer could launch a polemic on the merits of Blob, but this place is best discovered and judged by the reader first hand. No words could ever put to justice the emotional rollercoaster we all get taken on over the course of the year.

Chances are, you’ll only ever be able to find Blob whilst drunk- one develops a radar of sorts which guides you instinctively there. I know it took me a good few months of regular patronage to establish in daylight where exactly it was. Likewise, the magic bakery located (supposedly) on the same street, seems to vanish ‘magically’ into thin air, leaving you wondering whether you did actually drink about 17,000 red shots (a Blob staple, and always a great idea at the time), or whether you had dreamt a distorted version of the Wizard of Oz.

Nowhere in Florence can offer what Blob does. As a venue, I am yet to witness the refurbished version (Blob has recently undergone a bit of a facial), but so long as this update has not compromised the usual suspect characters who make the place what it is, then Blob will still be creating the same euphoric atmosphere it has done for so long.

Val, the owner, is a fantastically warm-hearted guy who teamed with his security A-Team despair no end with the incessant and frustrating chatter of his revelling, outdoor patrons. Don’t piss them off, and you’ll have friends for life.

The music variety is second-to-none with each night a different genre, such as funky Mondays, open-mic night on Thursday and culminating spectacularly on a Saturday with DJ Charmayne who never fails to get the eager punters throwing some classic shapes on the dancefloor.

Drunkenness, random smooches, outrageous dancing, laughs, laughs and more laughs are order of every day here. A firm favourite for all time.

>> Visit also: "The Kersh's Korner: Bars in Florence :: Part 1 "

(September 2007- Written by Helen Kershaw from Manchester, England )

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