43 Best Restaurants in Tuscany, Italy

Cialde, a local specialty, are circular wafers made with flour, sugar, eggs, and almonds from Puglia. The Bargilli family has been serving them with their equally delicious ice cream since 1936. Try them at Bargilli, the family's shop and probably the best gelateria in town.

It's well off the beaten path (even if it is in the center of Livorno's shopping district), but getting here is worth the trouble, as this tiny place has a short menu that changes daily, a superb wine list, and a gregarious staff. The baccalà alla livornese (deep-fried salt cod served with chickpeas) is succulent and crisp, and the ribollita and other soups are very soothing. You could also pop in to sample a glass at the wine bar or to browse the shelves filled with wines from all over Italy.

This institution—it's been around since 1806—began life as a butcher shop and, indeed, it still is, but it also has a little restaurant that serves great taglieri (plates of mixed cured pork products, usually, though cheese does prominently figure as well). Soups, lasagna, various tartares, and sandwiches are also on hand; the quality of the products is exceptional.

Angelo di Donato creates some of the most delicious panini (sandwiches) in town, offering such hearty combinations as meatballs and pepperoncini or Jerusalem artichoke cream, Taleggio cheese, and fried onion; there's also always at least one vegetarian option available. Since it's a one-man show, expect a wait—but it's worth it for the quality of the ingredients and the care put into the preparations.

The name means "the usual soup," but there's hardly anything usual about the soups on offer—as wait staffers often explain, this restaurant is committed to cooking seasonally, using what's currently available at the market. Expect wonderfully tasty soups and brilliant secondi (second courses), all served in a room with high vaulted arches dating from the 17th century.

Locals flock to this central café to quaff a cappuccino and pick up panforte (cake made of fruits and nuts; the chocolate panforte is a real treat) and ricciarelli (almond cookies). You can get sweets to go, or rest your feet for a spell over breakfast or lunch.

As high in Montepulciano as you can get, just behind the Duomo, this small and intimate restaurant is expertly run by the mother-and-son team of Lorena and Paolo Brachi. Passionate about the food they prepare, both have a flair for the region's traditional dishes—the pici all'aglione (pasta with garlic sauce) and the filetto ai funghi porcini (steak with porcini mushrooms) are mouthwateringly good. The wine list, though limited in range, presents a decent selection of wines from both Montepulciano and Montalcino. For a change from the usual Tuscan meat dishes, fresh fish is served on Friday. Outdoor seating is limited.

Tasty dishes based on the region's cheeses are the specialty at this simple osteria on a quiet, pleasant, central square. Try versions of pici or the starter of radicchio baked quickly to brown the edges. The local pecorino cheese appears often on the menu—the pecorino grigliata con pancetta (grilled with cured bacon) is divine. Can't decide? Try the pecorino tasting menu.

Pisa is an incredibly multicultural city, as evidenced by restaurants like this one, which serves the best Middle Eastern food in town. The tables are a little close together, but the atmosphere is lively, and you'll find all the classics—from falafel to hummus—as well as a delicious dessert of ricotta mousse with homemade quince jam. 

This place, which has been in the Papei family for three generations, attracts both locals and visitors with basic but fine Sienese specialties and reasonable prices. Tucked away behind the Palazzo Pubblico in a square that serves as a parking lot for most of the day, the restaurant's location isn't great, but the food is; thanks to portable heaters, there is outdoor seating all year-round.

At lunch and dinner time, this social hub for San Miniatans turns into a full-blown trattoria serving up local specialties. You can't go wrong with any of the wonderful panini, which are made with bread baked on-site and which you can eat seated at a table with a splendid valley view.

This spot just outside the walled town of Monteriggioni is the perfect stop on the way to Siena from Florence or vice versa. The bar serves excellent coffees and sweets, and the highly informal dining room offers terrific local specialties such as sublime panini, which can be topped with sott'olii (vegetables preserved under olive oil). You can order takeout or sit outside with a nice glass of wine while you eat.

It's a most unassuming bar a stone's throw away from a massive Medici villa up the hill, and you might be tempted to walk right past it. Besides serving the usual array of coffees, spritzes, panini, and wines by the glass, it turns out terrific pizzas.

Recently restored to its 19th century glory, Bar Stefano is one of Arezzo's oldest coffee shops, known colloquially and affectionately by its original name, Gli Svizzeri. Stop by for an almost overwhelming selection of homemade pastries, cakes, savory focaccias and, during the summer months, gelato, as well as excellent espressos and cappuccinos.

Blend is open 10 am to 9:30 pm (after most places are closed) and serves sandwiches, pasta, and creative salads. It's on a quiet little piazza right around the corner from the Duomo, and it offers outdoor seating in warmer months.

If you need a break from sightseeing, stop here for a cappuccino, sandwiches at lunchtime, or the array of appetizers set out during the cocktail hour. In summer, a few outdoor tables are set up directly on Via Nazionale, Cortona's main pedestrian street, and provide a great perch from which to people-watch.

Come here for a finely crafted sandwich (they have 18 different varieties on the menu), or something more substantial like the crostone ai funghi (a very large portion of toasted bread topped with local, fragrant porcini mushrooms). Tiny local blueberries, in season, appear in numerous guises on the dessert menu. At après-ski time, the place positively hums as the pizza oven is fired up, and happy skiers seat themselves on furniture that looks as if an Alpine Fred Flintstone designed it.

If you're tired of Tuscan food (it can happen), this place on a side street near the Duomo serves up typical Asian dumplings, as well as those that are completely Italian, such as manzo e porcini (beef with porcini mushrooms). The insalatina di trippa piccante (spicy tripe salad) pays homage to both Asian and Italian cuisine. A fine list of artisanal beers is on offer, as are nicely priced glasses of wine.

Detour off Greve's flower-strewn main square for food that relies heavily on local ingredients (like cheese and salami produced nearby). The lengthy wine list provides a bewildering array of choices to pair with affettati misti or one of the primi (first courses)—the pici (a thick, hand-rolled spaghetti) are deftly prepared here. All dishes are made with great care, and outdoor seating makes summer dining particularly pleasant. It's also possible to simply stop by for a glass of wine.

There's no shortage of places to try Vernaccia di San Gimignano, the justifiably famous white wine with which San Gimignano is often singularly associated. At this wine bar, you can buy a glass of Vernaccia di San Gimignano and sit down with a cheese plate or one of the fine crostini.

Bakers Francesca and husband Davide create classic Southern Tuscan biscuits such as cantucci with cinnamon and almonds, as well local Jewish delicacies like the sfratto di Pitigliano (biscuit log filled with fig paste) that is tied to the nearby Jewish ghetto's long history.

Treat yourself to one of the terrifically fragrant ice creams at this gelateria just outside the center of town. The fruit flavors—fragola (strawberry), melone (cantaloupe), and limone (lemon)—are all homemade and particularly good.

Grosseto is known for its glut of gelaterias, but this one stands out for its artisan production and original flavors. Aside from the perennial classics like pistacchio and stracciatella (cream with chocolate shavings), try unusual combinations like rose and rice pudding or apple strudel.

Husband-and-wife team, Piero and Caroline, live by the motto "antica esperienza, bonta moderna" ("old-school knowledge, innovative techniques"). They use top-notch ingredients such as Bronte pistachios and IGP Piemonte hazelnuts in their ice creams, which include out-of-the-box options like the Burlamacchi—vanilla smothered in cookie crumbs and salted caramel.

It's small, but the very cheery staff is only too happy to provide you with wonderful plates of typical Tuscan food. The kitchen stays open a little bit later than most, which makes this a perfect stop after seeing some of the amazing art that Arezzo has to offer. Reservations are a necessity if you are attending the monthly antiques fair.

This lovely trattoria has been around for a long time, and with good reason—the Tuscan classics rely heavily on the local cheese (pecorino) and local meats (especially wild boar, among others), and the wine list is long and very well-priced. The white walls, tile floors, and red tablecloths create an understated tone that is unremarkable, but once the food starts arriving, it's easy to forgive the lack of decoration.

Lots of shaded outdoor seating makes this a pleasant place for lunch on a warm day. Pecorino cheese, spicy salami, and grilled vegetables sott'olio (preserved in olive oil) are served cafeteria-style. And, if you want something even spicier, the stuffed hot peppers are delicious. There is a good selection of wine, but the choice of desserts is limited, and they don't serve coffee.

This lively, gaily colored little trattoria (the name means "black sheep") with a high-vaulted ceiling is staffed by giovani disabili (both mentally challenged and learning-disabled young people), who wait tables under the supervision of a nondisabled companion. The food's terrific, from the made-in-house pizzas and focaccias to the traditional torta ai pinoli (pine nut cake). Great care is taken with sourcing, when possible, local organic ingredients, and such care translates into a lovely meal.

The very unassuming decor (wooden tables, wooden chairs) sets the scene for terrific Tuscan food. Though there's not a truffle dish to be found on the menu, there's lots to satisfy the palate. The tasty food arrives in nicely sized portions; excellent house wine is on offer, as are other wines by the bottle, which are all nicely priced; and desserts are pretty good here.