7 Best Restaurants in Southern Tuscany, Tuscany

Near Saturnia is the restaurant of Italian celebrity chef Valeria Piccini, where prices are high, but the food is excellent. The prix-fixe tasting menu might include such dishes as tortelli di cinta senese in brodetto di castagne e gallina (pasta filled with Sienese pork in a chicken and chestnut broth) or cinghiale lardolato con finocchi, arance e olive (larded wild boar with fennel, orange, and olives).

Alessandro Aniello and his brother, Lorenzo, carry on with the captivating food created by their late father. Local ingredients are emphasized, and dishes like tortelli di castagne al seme di finocchio (chestnut-stuffed pasta with butter sauce and fennel seeds) are perfectly prepared. In good weather, enjoy your meal on a terrace overlooking the town's main square.

The name means Happy Tufa, and you will be happy, too, if you eat at this fine restaurant cut directly into the tufa rock plateau upon which old Pitigliano sits. The cuisine is local and regional—the pappardelle al ragù di cinghiale (pappardelle pasta with wild boar sauce) is particularly tasty, as is the acquacotta (seasonal bread and vegetable soup served with quail egg). 

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.

You can enjoy straightforward Tuscan fare in the massive tower at the abbey's entrance, or, when it's warm, on a flower-filled terrace. The pici ai funghi (extra-thick handmade spaghetti with mushroom sauce) or zuppa di funghi (mushroom soup) take the sting out of a crisp winter day, and the grilled meats are a good bet at any time of year. If you want lighter fare, there's a bar serving panini that has outdoor seating.

As high in Montepulciano as you can get, just behind the Duomo, this intimate restaurant is expertly run by the mother-and-son team of Lorena and Paolo Brachi, both of whom are passionate about the food they prepare and have a flair for the region's traditional dishes. Although the wine list is limited in range, it does have a decent selection of offerings from both Montepulciano and Montalcino. For a change from the usual Tuscan meat dishes, fresh fish is served on Friday. Outdoor seating is limited.

A meal in this rustic place is always special, as the menu offers Tuscan classics as well as other dishes with a hint of fantasy. Try the excellent mushroom soup made with porcini, or opt for a roast boar or another of the dishes featuring game. The menu is rounded out by a varied wine selection. In warmer months, this fine fare can be had in the garden.