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We've compiled the best of the best in Southern Tuscany - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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.
Italian and Mediterranean risottos, pastas, and other dishes are reinterpreted with modern flair at this much lauded restaurant at the Castello Banfi wine resort. Desserts are also beautifully prepared, and Castello Banfi's excellent wines are a bonus.
In this small and cozy dining room, owner and sommelier Massimo Stella, his daughter Virginia, and chef Carlo Gutierrez bring fine dining flair to traditional Tuscan dishes like handmade pici pasta with black garlic and potato gnocchi. The wine list, which has many options by the glass, focuses on regional favorites.
With sweeping views of Pienza, this family-owned farmhouse restaurant is decked out in the style of traditional Tuscan trattoria with frescoes depicting idyllic country scenes and plenty of exposed brickwork. The menu is equally rustic, with such lovingly served dishes as antipasti of local salumi (cold cuts) and ragù di cinghiale (wild boar ragu), whose recipe is a closely guarded family secret.
Homemade pastas and fresh seafood are served here with a dash of style. The chef puts a creative spin on the classics, coming up with such delights as homemade vegetable gnocchi with scampi in a butter and saffron sauce. The semifreddi (think part gelato, part cake) are particularly good. Just a few steps from Rio Marina's scenic port, this is an easy stop on your way to or from the ferry.
