I just got back from a 2 week trip to Italy and wanted to share some notes on restaurants and wines. We spent 3 nights in Rome, 5 in Siena, 2 in Modena, 3 in Florence, and 1 in Bibbona. All in all we had a great trip with lots of good food and wine.
I got a lot of the recommendations from people and threads on this forum, especially from @M.Kaplan,@Faryan_Amir-Ghassemi, and @Otto_Forsberg so thank you for that!
One personal thing about Italian restaurants (say compared to France or other places) is that after two weeks I get quite tired of the food, despite loving to cook Italian food at home. Itâs probably mostly because all âtraditionalâ restaurants basically have the same menu, which is hyper local for better or worse â e.g. virtually every restaurant in Rome has cacio e pepe and every place in Modena has tortellini. So unless you go for the secondi, which tend to be slightly more diverse, you end up with very limited options.
One thought about restaurant wine lists: they tend to be much more expensive compared to France and itâs way more difficult to find values or âtrophy winesâ at reasonable prices. On a similar trip to France we probably would have drunk big names like Coche-Dury, Selosse, or even DRC but those big names (or their Italian equivalents) are all priced at secondary market value in Italy. Granted, Iâm much less versed in Italian wines than I am in French and the choices of restaurants may have been more touristy but I still feel that in similar restaurants in France/Austria/Germany/etc you get better value on wines. In fact, the wine lists often match US pricingâŚ
Rome
Had three great days in Rome, despite the entire city being pretty much one huge construction site right now. Favorite gelato here was Come Il Latte (we didnât make it to La Romana this trip, although I still remember their gelato from 8 years agoâŚ)
On our arrival day, we had dinner at Roscioli Salumeria Con Cucina. Great food that is all about the quality of the ingredients. Wine list is interesting as well, but prices are relatively high.
- 2022 Azienda Agricola Valentini Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo (6/29/2024)
Lovely nose with slightly funky notes, strawberries, blood orange, minerals, and grapefruit. Nice palate as well with good acidity and texture, more blood orange notes, some savory components, and good complexity. Nice finish. Great Cerasuolo that should only improve with age. It opened beautifully with air and was approachable, but I'd still hold this for 3-5 years. 93+ (93 points)
The second dinner was at their sister restaurant, Rimessa Roscioli. Very different menu and experience. Their wine list is outstanding with lots and lots of small Italian producers. Although we wanted to try something Italian, I just couldnât pass on the opportunity to drink a 1991 Robert Michel, a wine that is increasingly hard to find especially for such an old vintage. The somm was super helpful and excited about the choice as well.
We enjoyed both Roscioli restaurants for different reasons, so itâs hard to pick a favorite. If I had to pick one, it would probably be Rimessa because of the more interesting wine list and less cramped seating.
- 1991 Robert Michel Cornas La Geynale - France, RhĂ´ne, Northern RhĂ´ne, Cornas (6/30/2024)
Dark color and beautiful nose with notes of dark fruit, earth, cherries, black olives, leather, and a hint of mint. Lovely acidity on the palate with tart fruit, more cherries, red berries, tertiary notes, and savory. Long finish. Wow, this was in great shape! Perfectly aged but still plenty of fruit to drink well for a long time. (95 points)
On our last day in Rome, we had lunch at Armando al Pantheon. Fantastic pasta dishes and interesting wine list. Reservations for Armando and Roscioli Salumeria are both difficult to get and we had to settle for lunch here, although that ended up being a great choice.
- 2021 Emidio Pepe Trebbiano d'Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo (7/1/2024)
Pleasant nose with fruit and minerals, citrus, apple, and maybe a hint of bergamot. Good acidity with lots of minerals, lemon, lime, and a saline note on the palate. Good finish. Lovely wine that is young but approachable. At this stage there is good complexity of flavors, but not too much depth, but that may come with age. 92++ (92 points)
Last dinner in Rome was at Pipero (1* Michelin). This was a huge disappointment. The food tasted alright, but didnât really speak to us. It seemed to be all about checking all the Michelin boxes rather than focus on the actual food. I was also very put off by the âsommelierâ: when asked what type of wine we should order, he strongly recommended a red, so we went for a Valentini Montepulciano. Every single dish on the tasting menu turned out to be either fish or otherwise much better suited for a white (except for the last one) and the wine pairing they served to the neighboring table was pretty much all whites. Despite the horrible advice, the Valentini turned out to be the star of the night, so I wasnât too sad about the choice, just perplexed with the recommendation.
- 2017 Azienda Agricola Valentini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (7/1/2024)
Fragrant and pretty nose with sour cherry, smoke, raspberries, earth, blackberries, and some violets/floral notes that emerged with air. Nice acidity on the palate with textural but subtle tannins, more red cherries and fruit. Nice finish. The wine opened up beautifully with a couple of hours in the decanter, but I would hold this for 10+ years. It's drinking well but was clearly not showing everything. 94+ (94 points)
Siena
We went to Siena for a wedding and combined the trip with the Palio horse race. Unfortunately, this was the first year since 1979 that the Palio had to be postponed 2 days in a row, so we did get all of the waiting and parade experience, but missed the actual race since we had dinner reservations in San Gimignano on the third day when it actually happened⌠Despite this, we still had a great time and the city is absolutely gorgeous and worth a longer stay (I grew up in a well preserved medieval city but Siena is next level).
We used Siena as the base for day trip to explore Tuscany (e.g. Montepulciano, Chianti, San Gimignano), which turned out to be a great choice.
Our first dinner here was at Osteria Le Logge. Probably one of the favorite meals of the trip. The dishes are simple but delicious and the wine list is deep. Highly recommended.
- 2019 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (7/2/2024)
Wow, what an incredible nose, so gorgeous and complex. Lots of floral notes, roses, red cherries, earth, and tar. It's super well balanced and nothing sticks out and kept changing and revealing more nuances in the glass. Good acidity on the palate with flavors of blood orange, sour cherry, and earth. There are lots of tannins but they are integrated quite well and linger a bit in the background. Long finish. This is simply outstanding. Surprisingly approachable at this early stage and already a memorable experience. There is no shame in drinking it now, but it should only improve in 10-15 years. 98+ (98 points)
The second night, we went to La Compagnia dei Vinattieri. Another great meal and fantastic wine list. Also highly recommended.
- 2013 Montevertine Le Pergole Torte Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT (7/3/2024)
Fresh and beautiful nose with cherries, plums, earth, a hint of cocoa nibs, spices, and some floral components. Good acidity with big tannic structure on the palate, more red cherries, black pepper, and a hint of cassis. The palate is very textural at this stage. Long and lingering finish. Lovely wine that opened up beautifully with air. I'd say hold this for a bit longer, but it can be enjoyed now. (95 points)
Modena
We spent two nights in Modena, mostly to eat at Osteria Francescana, which we combined with the Ferrari Museum in Maranello (including the F1 Simulator) and visits to Parmesan and Aceito Balsamico producers, which both turned out to be really interesting and educational. After visiting an acetaia we had a great Balsamico tasting at La Consorteria 1966, which is a shop that focuses on smaller producers. Ice cream at Bloom across the street was exceptional, probably the best gelato of the trip.
First night here was dinner at Trattoria Pomposa Al Re Gras. This turned out to be a lovely meal, the tortellini both in broth and parmesan sauce were excellent. Wine list is mostly local Lambrusco and we chose a delicious Cantina della Volta 36 months metodo classico.
Next, the main event was dinner at Osteria Francescana (3* Michelin). Overall, a nice experience, but we still left slightly disappointed due to huge expectations. The menu was about flavors from all over the world, interpreted by Massimo Bottura in a âmodenese wayâ. This turned out to be too much âfusionâ for my taste and I felt that almost none of the dishes really benefitted from the merging of flavors. What was impressive, was the flawless execution of every single dish, but at the end of the day only one was truly exceptional (Focaccia Tatin). The wine list is interesting, but expensive, especially for the big names. We went with a nice 2015 Caâ del Bosco Franciacorta Annamaria Clementi, 2016 Valentini Trebbiano (WOTN), and 2018 Conterno Gattinara Molsino (really good).
Florence
We spent three days in Florence. There seem to be even more tourists than our last trip about 6 years ago (although that was in early September, which may explain the difference). Still, itâs always nice to spend time in Florence despite the crowds.
On our first night here, we went to Enoteca Pitti Gola e Cucina. Great food and DEEP wine list with tons of Chiantiâs from the 60s to 80s and all the way back to 1907 at excellent prices (most sub âŹ100). We went with a 1989 Montetondo Chianti Classico âCruâ. It still had some life left and was a great intellectual experience.
Next, we went to Buca Lapi for the Bistecca Fiorentina. The steak was fantastic. The wine list not so much and I wasnât happy with our choice of 2019 Brunello and donât even remember the wine we orderedâŚ
For our last night in Florence we chose to have dinner at Enoteca Bruni. WOW! This must be one of the best natural wines lists I have ever seen anywhere. Every important producer is represented, although it must be said that the top wines are âwine clubâ only, so no Overnoy, Bruyere, Lefort, Beauger, etc for first-time customers. Still, there was plenty to choose from and prices are reasonable. The sommelier is extremely knowledgable and the meal was fantastic as well. I highly recommend this place, especially if youâre into natural wine.
- 2017 L'Arbre Blanc (Frederic Gounan) Vin de France Les fesses - France, Vin de France (7/11/2024)
Lovely nose with notes blood orange, citrus zest, red apple, and minerals. Nice acidity and quite structured on the palate with flavors of lemon, orange, more zest/pith, saline notes, tart peaches, and apricots. Long finish. Super interesting, beautiful, and engaging wine. I'd drink this closer to room temperature. (94 points)
Bibbona / Bolgheri
For our last night, we stayed at a beautiful Bed and Breakfast in Bibbona (Podere Le Mezzelune). We also had a tour and tasting at Ornellaia (mostly for educational purposes since Iâm not a big fan on the wines, but it was a very interesting visit nonetheless), which was a nice end to our trip.
Dinner was at La Pineta (1* Michelin) at the marina and with a seafood menu. I really enjoyed the meal here (maybe except for the last dish that was too rich and heavy for the fish) and the view of the sunset.
- 2015 Gravner Ribolla - Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Venezia Giulia IGT (7/12/2024)
Fragrant nose with apricots, stone fruit, minerals, apple, and flowers. Good texture on the palate with nice acidity, flavors of orange, more apricot, citrus zest, and dried flowers. Nice finish. Lovely wine that is still quite young and should improve with age. This is a big and quite ripe wine with some noticeable alcohol, but it's well balanced. 93-94+ (94 points)
Roscioli Salumeria:
Rimessa Roscioli:
Unsuccessful Palio attempt:
Lots of Parmeggiano:
Wine list heaven:
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