Adam and Sarah's Not-So-Rough Guide to Italy

We wrote this back in 2003 when we were living in Italy for the year. If you're planning a visit to Italy, we hope you’ll visit some of our favorite haunts and and find some of your own. Our recommendations are Tuscany-heavy, naturally, but we have a few other suggestions too.

We think the best guidebook for a week in Tuscany is the Rough Guide to Tuscany and Umbria, as it’s most detailed on little hill towns. Rough Guide Italy is good overall, and Rick Steves’ Italy is great for the small number of places he covers (he gives great suggestions for if you have 1, 3, or 5 days in Rome/Florence/Venice (or other places) and what should you see there). We would also be happy to send you the additional articles we wrote about some of these places, mentioned below.

If you are looking for a place to stay, a good place to start is www.InItaly.com. They have tons of great info on places, festivals, restaurants, etc., but are particularly good for finding an agriturismo (farmhouse room rental). They do, however, mark things up a bit so if you have time, look up in Google the place you found on InItaly and see if you can find their own website to book directly.

Most of these places don’t require reservations except for the fancy ones, but it’s never a bad idea to call anyway, and tell them,

“Vorrei fare una prenotazione per due per stasera alle otto?”

(voh-ray fah-ray oo-nah pray-no-ta-tzee-oh-nay pear doo-ay pear stah-say-rah ah-lay ought-toh) (I’d like to make a reservation for two for tonight at eight.) You can probably get away with just asking in English at some of the bigger places.

One last suggestion – buy a detailed map of Tuscany at the start of your trip. Assuming you’ve got a rental car (which is best for seeing small towns—try www.AutoEurope.com), you’ll be much happier (and less lost) with a really good map. Many off the more interesting places are off the main roads and thus not on the car rental agency freebie maps.

Places to Eat

La Porta—Montichiello

Our favorite local haunt in Italy. Not fancy—a plate of pasta costs around €8—but delicious food and friendly atmosphere. See our separate article on Montichiello (also see below) and La Porta. Try the ravioli with pecorino (and an uncredited cameo by mint), the grilled cheese, the ribollita, and a glass of Brunello di Montalcino. There is a food movement in Italy called Slow Food, which began as a response to fast food, advocating for local, fresh ingredients, traditional recipes, and proper appreciation of food (not hard tomatoes in cellophane in January). Certain trattorias and osterias subscribe to these principles, and La Porta is one of them. Any time you see the Slow Food snail sticker on a restaurant door, march right in and eat there. Enjoy a nice walk around or above Montichiello after you eat.

Directions: go to Montichiello, halfway between Montepulciano and Pienza. Walk through the town gate and it’s on your left. Closed Thursays; you may want to call ahead since it’s kind of a haul to get there (0578-755163)

La Chiusa—Montefollonico

Really excellent gourmet restaurant with high-end of Tuscan favorites and new treats too. In an old farmhouse, which gives a relatively casual atmosphere though there are still white tablecloths and tuxedoed waiters. Try the zucchini blossoms, the pappardelle alla Dania, and the ethereal chick pea soup (zuppa di ceci), which Adam tried a dozen times to replicate from the recipe in the La Chiusa cookbook before giving up. Dinner or lunch for 2 with wine costs about €100, so it’s a splurge.

Directions: Look in a restaurant y guidebook in a bookstore for the address/phone, then find it on a map or call.

La Pievina—just north of Asciano

The Rough Guide says this is the best restaurant near Asciano. It’s in a “suburb” to the village of Asciano, except there’s really nothing in the suburb but this. Definitely make a reservation. We thought we’d try it out one time, so we made a reservation, showed up, and the woman who runs the place came to our table and asked, “Would you like to try our special seafood appetizer? 10 tastes of seafood prepared different ways.” Having no menu or alternatives, we said sure. She brought out a good-sized appetizer plate of calamari (which we don’t usually like but was great here), then another of delicious mussels, then another, and another, and by the time we reached 10 we had to tell her that we couldn’t actually order an entrée—we were stuffed! She begged us to try a dessert, and since we were sitting across from the dessert table and had been watching the chocolate profiteroles, we said we’d share one. She brought us the whole serving bowl of profiteroles and told us to help ourselves, and then left us. When we swore again we couldn’t eat anymore, she brought us a piece of almond cake, and when we finally left the restaurant, she ran out the door after us to give us some cookies to take with us. And having never seen a menu we were expecting to pay up to €100 for this insane amount of food—but it cost €46! (We know they have non-fish meals too, like pasta, and knowing this place they must be good, but we haven’t tried them. But it would be worth coming just for the atmosphere and the profiteroles!)

Directions: In the town of Pievina, roughly 9km on the road north of Asciano.

Trattoria Da Peo—Monteroni d’Arbia

Another rgreat casalinga (home-cooking) trattoria. There are a million like this in Tuscany, but we found this one and like it. Simple, dirt-cheap (maybe €15 for 2), and really good. Try the pici all’aglione (thick, chewy local spaghetti variety in tomato sauce that’s spicy with garlic). When we first ate there, Adam ordered a second plate of this after the first one was so good. Also good pecorino, and an entertaining wacky owner, though he doesn’t speak much English.

Directions: on the main road that runs through the middle of Monteroni d’Arbia (and runs from Siena to Buonconvento). It’s at the southern end of the main street business district, on the right side if you’re heading south, just opposite the turnoff for Asciano.

Il Carroccio—Siena

A really good Slow Food trattoria, just off the Campo (Siena’s central square). Casual atmosphere with great food and a few outside tables in summer. Menu changes seasonally, but we’ve recently enjoyed gnocchi with Scamorza (smoked mozzarella), carrots and zucchini, the ribollita (tuscan peasant soup), sformata di verdure, and the best fagioli all’uccelletto (white cannellini beans with tomato-sage sauce and olive oil). Medium-priced, maybe €30-40 for 2 with their good house red wine.

Directions: When you’re standing in Siena’s Campo, face the Palazzo Publico (with the tower) and take the street that’s ahead of you but against the right wall of the Campo. It’s about 50 meters on the right. You should make a reservation for dinner, but if you’re in Siena for the day, you could just stop by and make the reservation in person earlier. Closed Tuesdays.

Il Vinaio dell’Eremita—Siena

We first went here with a wine-tasting class through our language school. We had such a fun time tasting wine and talking some Italian with Antonio, the owner, we came back to the same wine-tasting class twice more and then started coming here for meals on our own. Antonio quit his marketing job a few years back to open a restaurant cooking his family’s traditional recipes, passed down for generations (see separate article on Il Vinaio for more). It’s half four-table local restaurant hangout, half wine bar. Our favorite are the cannellini beans and chick peas marinated with oil and paprika and served cold from the deli case. Antonio insists he also has great prosciutto, though he hasn’t persuaded us to try it. They don’t have traditional hot stuff here – no pasta or risotto – but a good cheese plate, soups, and lots of fun appetizer things. And try whatever wine he’s offering. About €15 for two with his house wine.

Directions: in Piazza Sant’Agostino, at the corner of Via delle Cerchia and Via San Pietro, a 5-minute walk up the hill from Porta Tufi (and the parking garage at Porta Tufi if you’re driving to Siena). Generally doesn’t require reservations, however, since there are only 4 tables, it’s not a bad idea to leave your name. (0577-49490)

Arnolfo—Colle di Val d’Elsa

This is a once-in-a-lifetime place, or close to it. A formal restaurant in the middle of an ancient stone village, Arnolfo has two Michelin stars (only 20 restaurants in Italy can match that, and only three have three stars). Our tasting menu included several amuses bouches, little tastes from the chef, and was a genuine gourmet feast (see separate article). One man dining alone at the next table photographed every single course as the waiter lifted its silver dome. Just a stunning meal, about €160 for two with one of their cheaper bottles of wine.

Directions: Drive to Colle di Val d’Elsa, park in the parking lot for the upper town, then walk up and walk around til you find it (make sure you have the address from a guidebook or Michelin Red Guide but leave extra time, as it’s hard to find). You should probably make a reservation to be on the safe side.

Enoteca Fontepetri—Wine tasting outside Montalcino

Ask for Mimmo. Mimmo is very friendly, speaks a small amount of English, and will only give you good wine to taste! If you mention that we send you, he will probably be happy to hear that, although he’s a pretty happy guy all the time. This is the best place to taste and buy Brunello di Montalcino, which is the best wine of Tuscany, and one of the top two Italian wines period. It’s kind of expensive ($25+ per bottle), but there is also a younger version of the exact same grape called Rosso di Montalcino that is much cheaper, and nearly as good (if you’re not a wine expert). You can buy and taste the wine in Montalcino itself, but our experience was that most of the places in town were kind of snooty, overpriced, and didn’t let you taste the very best wine. Mimmo is much better! If you want something sweeter, ask Mimmo for a taste of the “Moscadello di Montalcino” which is a kind of Muscat desert wine that is very tasty.

Directions: The best way to get there is to take the SS2 South from Buonconvento. 1 km after you leave Buonconvento, you’ll see a sign to the right that reads “Montalcino/Grossetto.” Take this right and drive 3 km; you’ll see the words “Enoteca/Wine Shop” on a big vertical sign on the left hand side of the road. Turn left into the driveway here! If you’re looking at a good map, you’ll see this road as a small road that goes straight north from Montalcino, hitting the SS2 in between Buonconvento and Torrieri. (0577/806 241 or fontepetri@libero.it).

Siena finds

If you’re spending time in Siena, as you should, you should eat well even when you’re eating cheaply. Our favorite local pizza place for a slice of pizza at lunch is at Pizzeria del Corso, 23 Via Banchi di Sopra (the main street that runs to the northern half of the town), on the left side as you’re heading north, right across the street from the big Nannini bakery café (not the smaller Nannini gelateria further up). It’s a little stand-up/take-out place with a glass counter halfway back.

When you leave the pizza place, you can walk across to Nannini and, walking around to the back part of the sweets counter (by the stairs down to the restrooms), buy a handful of ricciarelli (pronounced “reach-a-relly”)for dessert. These are sweet, soft, almond-flavored slices of heaven (in cookie form), oval-shaped and dusted with powdered sugar.

For the best gelato in Tuscany (in our opinion), try our very favorite gelataria right off the Campo in Siena. It’s on Via di Citta, right where Via di Pellagrini intersects. It’s got a sign outside that says Gelateria Artigianale (“homemade gelato”), and they have a second branch kitty-corner from their front door that’s sometimes open instead. Sarah’s experimentally-determined perfect cup: a €1.50 cup with 3 flavors—fragola (strawberry), amarenata (black cherry), and variegato di caramello (caramel swirl).

Enoteca Toscana—Olive Oil & Vinegar tasting (and wine)

Run by the Italian government, you can taste several different olive oils and fine Balsamic vinegars here (the kind of vinegars that are so aged and so sweet that they’re best served over strawberries or vanilla ice cream for dessert). They have good prices on these as well as on a broad selection of Tuscan wines.

Directions: inside the Fortezza in Siena, the old fortress in the northwest part of the city (near Piazza Gramisci, the bus station). Just inside the entrance to the Fortezza turn right and walk inside and down the stairs.

Things to See & Do

Here are some of our favorites (we assume you can get details from your guidebook, though let us know if you need help):

· In Siena, the Duomo and museum of Santa Maria Della Scala are great, as is the Palazzo Publico. Go into the Museo del Opera del Duomo, next to the Duomo, and climb to the top for a brilliant view of Siena and its Campo.

· The nearby towns of San Gimignano and the less-touristed Monteriggioni are beautiful with their rings of towers.

· Monte Oliveto Maggiore is a monastery in a stunning wild setting and you’ll see there a remarkable fresco cycle (plus chanting monks if you time it right).

· The trio of Pienza, Montepulciano, and Montichiello is a must-see. These little villages are mostly for walking around and admiring. Taste wine in Montepulciano’s center square (just down the hill a little) from a man whose family has been making that wine in that palazzo for 600 years. Montichiello is our favorite archetypal but undiscovered Tuscan hill town. The only thing of note there besides La Porta is a shop where they make beautiful linens/tablecloths by hand, and a little community hall (near the church) that often has photos of Tuscan scenes in it. If you want to taste and buy some Pecorino cheese, skip the stores in Pienza and head to Cugusi, a producer on the main road between Montepulciano and Pienza about 2 km outside Montepulciano (it’s signed from the road). They’ll vacuum-pack a wheel or piece of cheese for you that you can take back to the U.S.

· Montalcino is worth a visit as the great wine mecca of Tuscany. It’s fun to visit a vineyard in the surrounding area too.

· Chianti is also obviously wine country, though more overrun by British/German tourists. It’s still fun to drive around. Try visiting the vineyard at Castello di Brolio, and the nearby restaurant (another brilliant Slow Food osteria) Carlino d’Oro.

· San Galgano, about 45 minutes southwest of Siena, is a gorgeous old stone cathedral in a meadow where only the walls are still standing. We are particularly partial to it since that’s where we got engaged. Plus see the actual sword in the stone just up the hill.

Outside Tuscany

Cinque Terre

· Hike to Corniglia (the middle of the 5 towns) and eat at Cantina de Mananan, Via Fieschi 117, (0187/821166). If you are hiking in, follow the main road into town as it curves around a bit and it’s in about the 2^nd block of businesses, on your left. A wonderful little Slow Food restaurant with the entire menu written on pieces of paper and chalkboards on the wall. Try the buffalo mozzarella cheese with pesto, anything with capers and olives, but really anything there is good. You can also get a half-bottle of their local white wine, which is one of the best whites we’ve tasted. If it looks full, see if you can share a four-person table with another couple.

Rome

· Eat at Hostaria Romana, a pretty good and really fun restaurant with wacky waiters and writing all over the wall. From the intersection of Via Quattro Fontane and Via XX Settembre, head 1 block north and turn left, and it’s halfway down the block with a big vertical sign saying “Hostaria.”

· Great gelato to be found in a little place near the Trevi fountain (it’s within a block or so to the right when facing the fountain, and has in the doorway a New York Times review blown up), and near the Pantheon (1 block down the street to your back right when facing the Pantheon).

· See the Pantheon (ancient temple), the Villa Borghese (newly restored art museum with stunning Bernini sculptures), various churches with Michelangelo sculptures in them, and of course the Sistine Chapel and St. Peters if you haven’t seen them.

Florence

· See the Duomo and the Baptistery with the famous bronze doors across from the Duomo. Then go down the street to the Museo del Opera del Duomo, a newly restored museum with the originals of the Bronze doors, dozens of Donatello statues, and a brilliant Michelangelo Pietà you could stand and look at all day. See the Uffizi museum, but move through it quickly and hit the highlights, and wander over the Ponte Vecchio.

· One of Florence’s best and most expensive restaurants, Cibreo, has a trattoria next door that serves the exact same food from the same kitchen, for 1/3 the price! Definitely worth waiting for a table.

· Try gelato at Vivoli (more flavors than Siena, though we think not as good). Try the tasting menu of several pastas at Aqua al Due. If you’re reading a lot on vacation, stock up on English books at the Paperback Exchange.

Piedmont

· If you are in search of great food and wine, head to this region a couple hours east of Milan for its amazing cheeses, white truffles, and Barolo, Italy’s greatest wine. Stay in Alba, rent a car, and spend a day wine tasting in the Barolo region. You can walk on a trail among the vineyards (start at the Cantina in La Morra), or drive. Try to call ahead a week or two and set up a tasting at Oddero, our favorite producer (in Santa Maria, next to La Morra: 0173/50618 or 1073/364170). Then make sure to eat lunch at Ristorante Belvedere in La Morra, with their renowned cheese cart (the blue cheese is the best). Also try fresh porcini mushrooms, sautéed in butter, or the wild strawberry tart with lemon cream.