The Artemio Franchi Stadium will always be the main reason calcio fans head to Florence but there is one other thing that simply must be high on the to-do list.

When it comes to food, Florence is an outlier in Italy. For a nation with a mighty culinary reputation, one should not necessarily think of pizza, pasta, cheese and salumi when arriving in the city of Dante, Michelangelo, Machiavelli and Botticelli.

Here, it is the bistecca alla Fiorentina – Florentine steak – that has to be tried.

Like other popular cities up and down the peninsula, Florence has no shortage of tourist traps and this is especially true around Piazza del Duomo.

But Destination Calcio can point you in the direction of an award-winning restaurant that serves fantastic bistecca – Trattoria Dall’Oste.

On this occasion, a balmy-but-delightful Friday evening in early autumn, a decision was made to swerve the starters and go straight to the main event – a 1.2kg Chianina bistecca with roasted potatoes.

A bag of fresh bread, a touch of balsamic vinegar and a dash of olive oil… it would be rude not to have a glass of red wine, so the Bolgheri Rosso was perfect.

The Chianina steak, a thick and premium cut from cattle of the same name, is a lean and flavourful meat. Traditionally cooked rare over hot coals, it is known for its tenderness due to a special maturation process.

The main course arrived surprisingly quickly and was, as recommended by the waiter, cooked rare. A charred look on the outside, warm glow of pinkish-red in the middle and sprinkles of salt to top it off. It tasted beautiful.

At €56 per person, the Chianina is not the cheapest option for a Bistecca alla Fiorentina in the city. But we left more than satisfied, especially after a classic tiramisu for two. Rich, creamy and nicely proportioned, the dolce was every bit as good as the main course and the bill at the end was a shade over €150. 

This is nearer the top end as far as Florence goes but we are talking about the place recently ranked 43rd out of 101 by worldsbeststeaks.com.

Trattoria Dall’Oste is few minutes from Piazza del Duomo on via San Lorenzo and a 40-minute stroll from the stadium.

After dinner, why not venture into the Tuscan night to take in the majesty of the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, marvel at Filippo’s Brunelleschi’s masterpiece and walk off some of the finest bistecca the city has to offer.