We learned late in the game that Esselunga grocery store has online shopping with direct delivery to your house. We spent our first year in Florence dragging a shopping bag on wheels across the cobblestone streets of the city - not an easy task. I'm glad those days are over.
Recently our friend Arlene let us know about www.esselunga.it and we've already ordered twice. Here's a step-by-step account of how it works:
• Register for an account,
• Select your purchases from the online catalogue (which seems to include just about everything in the actual stores),
• Choose a delivery time - you are given a calendar of available dates and you choose a two-hour time slot in which the delivery will be made (usually the first available slot is 1 to 3 days later),
• Sit back and wait for delivery!
It does take some time to select all your items from the online catalogue, but after the first time your grocery list is saved and it usually doesn't take long to edit for the next shopping trip.
Oh yeah, and the fee for delivery is 7,90 euros, or 6,90 if you order over 110 euros worth of groceries. I think it's well worth the money not to have to drag six packs of water, huge packages of laundry detergent, and 12 packs of toilet paper across the city. And of course I still shop for my fruits, veggies and meats at the Mercato Sant'Ambrogio and right at home on Via Dei Neri...
Ellen