One of the best things about traveling in Italy? Simply put – the food! On our summer holiday in Tuscany we had one great dining experience after another. Even the most casual pizza lunch was all things charming and delicious. Pizza on a piazza? I’ll be there in a prosecco. 😉 In today’s post I’m sharing the restaurants and vineyards we visited, either for a long lunch or an elegant dinner. Disclaimer: reading this might cause severe hunger. It is recommended to have some snacks nearby. Ok, let’s dive into the taste of Tuscany!
In no particular order…
La Quolina Bistrot – Located in the village of Poppi, La Quolina is a great spot for lunch, dinner, or an aperitif. We had a delicious and impromptu lunch with a view here. The table settings are meticulously arranged and so beautiful, which serves as the frame for each perfectly plated dish. We enjoyed the smoked burrata caprese, a selection of cold cuts and cheese with jam and honey, ricotta and sage pesto ravioli, and purple potato tortelli with gorgonzola fondue. I would definitely go back. Reservations were not required for lunch.
Pretto Prosciutteria – This was such a casual and fun lunch experience in Siena. It’s located a little off the beaten path but still close to the Piazza del Campo. We each had a Pinsa Romana, which is similar to a pizza but has some differences. It is actually healthier, in that the dough contains less carbohydrates and fats. Among other differences it’s also in an oval shape. Pinsa comes from the Latin word pinsere which in Italian means to stretch or to spread. The modern Pinsa Romana is derived from an ancient Roman recipe. I loved the fresh ingredients, especially the fresh stracciatella cheese. Paired with an Aperol Spritz on a hot summer day, it was perfect!
Il Castello Ristorante – This place is in the Castello Certaldo. Upon arriving in Certaldo, take the funicular up to the told town and the ristorante is directly on your right. We only had a small breakfast of cappuccinos and pastries, which was great, but the view from their panoramic garden is stunning! Centered under the shade trees is a beautiful fountain and just over the ancient wall is a view of all of Certaldo and beyond. This ristorante would make a great place for a candlelit romantic dinner. Keep an eye out for their resident tortoises who roam freely around the garden. They were quite friendly and curious!
Re Al Quadrato – This is the simple pizza and piazza lunch I mentioned above. We sat on a cozy elevated terrace with a view of the Piazza Grande in Montepulciano and enjoyed two rather large pizzas. My husband was very pleased with the heat level of his nduja pizza. Nduja is a spicy spreadable pork sausage that contains sun-dried Calabrian chili peppers which give it its spicy taste. We actually arrived a few minutes before they opened but they generously sat us anyway and let us get started with a glass of wine and an Aperol Spritz. Reservations were not required.
Dario Cecchini’s Butcher Shop and Kitchen – If your Tuscan adventure brings you anywhere near the town of Panzano, I highly recommend booking a table at Dario’s. Being big fans of the Netflix series Chef’s Table, we knew Dario from one of the episodes. I recommend watching his episode to get a complete understanding of Dario’s philosophy and mission. This was a bucket list visit for us and it turned out to be every bit as amazing if not more than we ever expected. His butcher shop is like Mecca for meat lovers. Foodies and fans make a pilgrimage from all over to see him and his work.
We arrived at our assigned time for an aperitivo. Employees carrying armloads of glasses walked amongst the crowd pouring Dario’s Chianti. Next came large wooden boards covered in bread slices topped with a spread of beef fat (think seasoned bone marrow), which everyone gleefully devoured and washed down with the wine. The atmosphere was like a house party with 50 of your closest friends you’ve never met. Metallica was pumping through the speakers while Dario, dressed in his signature green, white, and red vest, kindly and joyfully paused for autographs and photos in between filling customers’ orders behind the butcher counter. After our aperitivo we made our way to the Solociccia, Dario’s daily lunch only dining room. Reservations are a must! We were seated and served family style in an elegant room with windows to the beautiful Chianti countryside all around. Large bottles of Chianti, paper bags filled with fresh Tuscan bread, and baskets of raw vegetables like carrots and fennel to dip into extra virgin olive oil topped the long table. After a few minutes the courses began arriving. While they do have an option for vegetarians, this is a meal for carnivores. 🙂
We enjoyed:
Beef tartare
Seared carpaccio
Off menu selection of beef belly
Bisteca Panzanese
(I’m sure I’m leaving out a course or two here)
Tuscan white beans in olive oil
Olive Oil cake
Lots and lots of Chianti!
After lunch we rolled ourselves out and perused the shop. You can purchase a selection of culinary treats including Dario’s own wine and “Profumo del Chianti,” his special salt blend that is amazing on pretty much anything. This was definitely one of the highlights of our entire trip!
Ristorante San Michele – Located in Villa San Michele, this restaurant was another absolute highlight of our time in Tuscany. We arrived a few minutes earlier than our reservation and enjoyed walking around the gardens and admiring the Villa, which you can also stay in as it is a Belmond Hotel. It is just so strikingly beautiful! One of the best parts of dining here is the picturesque view of Florence from the terrace. Attention to detail is important here and it really shines in the service and menu. It was one of my favorite meals ever. We enjoyed a local selection of cold cuts and cheese, amberjack tartare, homemade gnocchi with roasted lobster and orange bisque, local Fiesole saffron risotto with red prawns and a selection of sorbet and stracciatella gelato. It was one of those long lunches that you wished could just go on forever. Reservations are a must.
Frescobaldi Castello Nipozzano Estate – How can you travel to one of the most famous wine regions of the world without going to a vineyard? We really enjoyed our visit to Frescobaldi at the Castello Nipozzano Estate. If I could plan my wedding over again I would do it here. It’s so pretty and with incredible views! The wines are also quite good. We especially loved their Vermentino. The tour here was uniquely different from other vineyard tours we’ve done in that it was focused more on the vineyard’s family history and the history of the surrounding region. Perfect for a couple of history nerds like us. We toured the cellar and grounds and followed that with a wine tasting and “snack” which turned out to be so abundant that we made it our lunch. We even had a small dining room for the tasting all to ourselves. This was a really special experience and I would do it again. Reservations required.
Rinuccio 1180 – We loved having lunch here with a vineyard view. Rinuccio 1180 is the restaurant at the Antinori nel Chianti Classico estate, the 2022 first place winner of World’s Best Vineyards. The Antinori family has been making wine since 1385! We didn’t realize just how enormous the estate was when we arrived but after the shuttle ride from the off-site parking and walking through the vines we arrived at our table on a shaded terrace with rows and rows of grapes practically within arm’s reach. We enjoyed beef carpaccio, stuffed eggplant, goat cheese tortellini with a bell pepper cream sauce, tuscan steak with rosemary salt and roasted potatoes, vanilla ice cream with almond crema, and lemon sorbet with fresh fruit. Reservations required.
Il Borro Toscana – This restaurant is part of the Il Borro Toscana hotel and organic winery owned by Ferruccio Ferragamo. The grounds of the Il Borro estate are lush and fairytale-like. The dining room is quite modern and gets cozier as the sun goes down and the evening lighting begins to glow. It is a great place for a romantic dinner. We enjoyed pulpo and potatoes, beef carpaccio, Tyrrhenian Sea fish, meatballs, and raspberry and stracciatella gelato served from a vintage gelato truck. By the time dinner ended the wine shop had closed so we came back another day to stock up on our favorite Il Borro wines to bring home. They also have fantastic olive oils and you can purchase a beautiful Ferragamo accessory as well. Reservations required.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my “Taste of Tuscany!”
As always, thank you for stopping by!
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xo – Erin
Taste of Tuscany: 9 Restaurants and Vineyards We Loved appeared first on CathedralsandCafes.com. If you see this content published anywhere else, please email cathedralsandcafes@gmail.com.
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