9 Best Restaurants in Tuscany, Italy

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.

What started in 2013 as a way for a local fishing family to sell their catch of the day has blossomed into a seafood mega-hit with restaurants in Milan and Florence to complement the original Capalbio site. Vivo is known for its raw seafood, which is caught fresh, prepared the same day and even trackable via a QR code you can scan at your table. Order the Mix Crudo to get a taste of the best of the day's catch. 

This classic Italian restaurant offers simple preparations of locally caught fish. Try the antipasto il pescato del giorno (the daily catch), an ever-changing array of six, sometimes seven, different raw fish dishes determined by the day's catch. The chef lets his imagination run wild, and it's only to the benefit of the happy diners.

Husband and wife Claudio and Marila run this fish restaurant across the (busy) street from the docks. The decor's nothing to write home about (paneled walls with framed prints and navigational coats of arms)—here, it's all about the cacciucco (Livorno's famous seafood stew) and desserts.

Wall-to-wall Communist memorabilia greets you in this down-to-earth locale that serves cucina contadina (peasant's fare) with free-flowing beers and regular live music. The Livornese baccalà (salted cod) is a must-order, as are the chickpeas with parsley and white fish.

Run by original owner Attilio Adriani's sons, Alberto and Tommaso, Capo Nord began life as a small seaside dance hall before evolving into this much-loved seafood restaurant with its warm wooden furnishings and nautical-themed decorations. Choose from a series of set menus that highlight the catch of the day or settle for the restaurant's speciality—spaghetti with mom Fillide's octopus ragù. A great selection of local Elba whites complement the menu. 

This well-established restaurant serves commendable primi and stellar elbana (whitefish baked with vegetables and potatoes). The bustling, casual trattoria is in the old center of Portoferraio, at the beginning of the road to the old Medici walls.

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.