3 Best Restaurants in Viareggio, Tuscany

Locals swear by this small, unpretentious trattoria a couple of blocks from the beach, where the Artizzu family has been serving seafood since 1979. The house specialty aragosta alla catalana con verdure (Mediterranean lobster with steamed and raw vegetables) is pricey but divine, and the spiedino di sogliola (sole kebab) arrives with silken mashed potatoes topped with bottarga (a smoked-tuna product). If you can't decide, opt for the tasting menu, which gives you a little bit of a lot of the menu. Patrizia makes all the desserts; remember to leave room for them.

The Franceschini family has been running this swank seafood eatery since the 1970s. Ebullient host Romano Franceschini is justifiably proud of the food formerly produced by his wife, Franca (she still oversees the kitchen); son Roberto, an accomplished sommelier, presides over the floor. Don't miss the fantasia di pesce crudo (fantasy of raw fish), which arrives at the table with an aroma redolent of the sea, and follow up with any of the marvelous fish seconds. Or you can leave everything in the Franceschinis' hands and order the tasting menu (€125 without wine).

In the hands of the Giannini family since the early 2000s, Trattoria la Darsena excels in both its traditional and more creative seafood dishes. Crudo di mare (raw seafood tartare) and the seasonal spaghetti alla polpa di riccio (sea urchin spaghetti) are both firm favorites, and the wine list with more than 200 options is a passion project for the owner and his son.