Thanks for the Giovanni recs everyone, just booked a reservation there. We’ve also booked dinners at L’Ortone, Buca Lapi, and Ristorante Buca Mario. Will report back
Unbelievably packed in July, like a college football bowl game. Plus they had record breaking really intense heat wave in 2023.
I was there in September 2023, it was still crowded
in spite of the crazy summer heat.
But you’ll have a great time!
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Get out into the Tuscan countryside if you want to get away from the crowds. Some of the hill towns will get crowded during the day (San Gimignano especially), but usually clear out by the evening. I’ve enjoyed a couple great dinners at Osteria del Conte in Montepulciano, Osteria Leone in Bagno Vignoni, and Enoteca del Duca in Volterra
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I’ll be walking the Via Francigena from Pavia to Rome😀. I’ll get a healthy dose of the Tuscan countryside. If there are any towns along the path that you’re familiar with, I’m happy to note them down to pay extra attention!
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I’ve done a couple of similar treks in Northern Spain and I’m interested in any information on Via Francigena.
Apologies as I’ve no reccos here, but am wishing you well.
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It looks like it goes through Bagno Vignoni. Great little town, there are thermal baths you can swim in and I would do dinner at Osteria Leone mentioned above. Also looks like it goes through Lucca, I have not been there personally but heard good things.
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Lucca is beautiful and well worth a visit. It still has its city walls and is very charming. There is a great piazza defined by the contours of an old Roman amphitheatre: Piazza dell'Anfiteatro - Wikipedia
We had a delicious lunch at Buca di San Antonio.
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Perfect! I’ll be doing a rest day in Lucca, so I’ll certainly want to dive as much in as I can
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Lucca is small enough to roam in one day. The Chiesa di San Michele in Foro church is really beautiful. There is also an exceptional mummy of San Davino inside.
Sounds great, in Tuscany you are going trough many cool places. I am not sure if you will be staying strictly on path or you will have transportation. One restaurant that is right on the path that I highly recommend is Futura Osteria in Monteriggioni.
there is a pilgrim hostel right next to it
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Wonderful!!! Thank you so much!
Good wine tasting inside the walls of Monteriggioni:
The Montechiaro estate is further east of Siena that produces Chianti Colli Senesi, but the family owns this hotel and you can taste their offerings and purchase wine there. I served some of their wines at my wedding in Monteriggioni.
I also really enjoyed Tenuta Villa Trasqua, north of the Autostrada, which is the border of the Chianti Classico zone (Castellina in Chianti subzone):
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I have a couple of rules I follow when traveling in Italy. Number 1 is to follow @Riccardo_Campinoti’s recommendations without hesitation.
@Andrew_Kotowski and @Faryan_Amir-Ghassemi thanks for the Pitti Gola recommendation. Lovely food and fantastic wines. Friendly, passionate, knowledgeable staff who helped us steer through things. It was a great time and my wife absolutely adored it.
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Bumping this thread to ask if anyone has any new or updated restaurant recommendations for Florence, will be there for a quick 3 days in a few weeks. Grateful for any thoughts and will report back. Thanks!
Post I made a few years ago from our trip. The one place in Florence that I tell people about all the time is Belcore. It was not on our radar at all - just randomly came across it one day - and it was the surprise of the city
Without a doubt my number one recommendation. We have sent multiple people there over the years and everyone has raved about it.
Casa Ciabattini is a small, modest place that I really like because they are passionate about pasta. I’ve had too much pasta in Central Italy that is cooked more than I like. They get it right here. A really nice meal. Added bonus that while close to the city center, it is removed enough to out of the hubbub.
Not a restaurant but I greatly enjoyed Le Volpi e l’Uva. It’s near to the rightly touted Bar Pitti Gola. Terrific nosh, excellent selection of lesser known wines and a great vibe.
Thanks Greg ! Never heard of Casa Ciabattini but just booked it for our trip in 2 weeks.
@P_ONeill - we have the following booked:
ZeB Gastronomia – Zuppa e Bollito Unique experience, very good food and value. Seating is 2 long counters with the owner/chef in the middle serving. He’s quirckly and comes off prickly but once things get going he warms up. Just go with it and you’ll enjoy. Reviews explain his behavior but really it’s enjoyable if your prepared.
https://www.osteriadellenoteca.com/- one of our favorites. owned by the folks from Pitti Gola
https://www.cinghialebianco.net/- traditional and very good. will be busy and loud but solid Tuscan cuisine and very good well priced wine
Greg’s recommendation rounds out our dinner choices in Florence.
Also making it to https://ristorodilamole.it/ in Greve when we may a day trip to Chianti region
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As many others have previously mentioned, a really wonderful meal. I much preferred the cantina to their osteria two doors down.
Wine bar
Enoteca Bellini