Vino Rosso

Our Favorite Restaurants

Stefano, Maria and Elena at Ristoro l’Antica Scuderia are some of our favorite people in Tuscany and their restaurant is absolutely wonderful. This beautifully restored building located in the hills between Florence and Siena was originally a post house located on the Via Francigena (the 1000 year old route from Rome to the Alps) where travelers would change horses before continuing on their journey.

Scuderia has a warm inviting atmosphere and a beautiful patio. The menu changes with the season and is traditional but with a flair that uses the freshest seasonal ingredients. Yesterday (spring menu) I ate Insalata Mista and Rigatoni Arciere and Jerry ate Zuppa Legumi and Anatra. Mine was a great mixed salad with baby greens, fresh tomato, walnuts and fennel bulb… then pasta with a wonderful sauce and asparagus. Jerry’s meal was bean soup (he will always order soup), then an incredible roasted duck with a delicious sauce, orange slices and sprigs of blooming rosemary. Truly a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.

This is a great place to enjoy a meal, a snack or just stop by for a glass of wine on the patio. Of course the wine list is wonderful, I’m not sure if we return to any restaurant unless the wine list is wonderful. By the glass or by the bottle, they have a great selection of Chiantis, Supertuscan’s or Brunello’s.

To find Scuderia take S222 (main road between Florence and Siena) to the Tavernelle exit and follow the signs to Badia di Passignano were Galileo taught as a young math teacher. Scuderia is just across the road from this 1000 year old monastery

http://www.ristorolanticascuderia.com/

Cantinetta Rignana, in Rignana is one of our favorite restaurants in the hills of Tuscany. We heard from fellow travelers that we HAD to go to Rignana. Our reply, we want to but we can’t find the place. Oh it’s easy…. take the white road over to the next hill, turn left at the dumpster and follow that road. So heading out on a dark rainy night we turn left at the dumpster, drop down to a small valley, into the trees on a small twisty dirt road and come to a T. (At this point we’re hearing dueling banjos). Barely a sign, turn right and drive for a few more miles, then lo and behold… there are buildings and a bunch of cars and a very cozy, full restaurant.

The food is wonderful !! (Just a few examples )

Antipasta that is picture pretty.

Primi Piatto: Home made Taglierini and ravioli with butter and sage or with truffle or in game sauce, a delicous pappardelle and cinghiale (my all time favorite homemade wide noodles with a wild boar sauce) , pappa al pomodoro ( bread and tomato soup ), ribollita

Secondo: Bistecca alla Fiorentina ( Florentine T- bone steak ), pork steak or ribs, cockerel, rabbit and guinea hen, all grilled over the embers of an open fire ("brace"). Stewed wild boar, duck, hare and fallow dear. Typical peposo alla chiantigiana (stewed beef with red wine and pepper).

Dolce: Apple tart, tiramisù, ricotta cheese cake, cream caramel, panna cotta

And a great wine list!!

Lunch at Rignana is particularly fun and can’t be missed; red tablecloths, spectacular view, flowers everywhere, a playground for the kids, eating alone or "la familia". Stefano and his crew are wonderful and pride themselves on great food and great service.

Cantinetta Rignana is not as hard to find as on our first venture. It is an easy drive from Greve, Panzano or the S222 Tavernelle exit. Just google Rignana, find a good map or use their web site.

http://www.lacantinettadirignana.it/lacantinetta/index.php

Just outside of Radda and our "home away from home" is Bar Dante. We usually begin the days activities by stopping in for coffee and spremuta (freshly squeezed orange juice) and to read the paper and talk to Fabrizio, then end the day’s excursions by stopping in for a glass of wine and to talk to Carolyn. He works from around 6:00 in the morning until just after lunch, while she works from around 1:00 until 6:00 p.m. Last year when we rounded the corner by Bar Dante, Fabrizio was standing in the doorway and threw his arms wide and said "I was just thinking about you yesterday! I forgot when you were coming." Bar Dante has a new morning person, Joanna (pronounced "Yo-awnna"). Those who had lunch at Volpaia last year may remember her from there as she was a waitress there the past couple of years. The afternoon people include Daniel and his cousin Uta, both from Germany. In addition to the wonderful staff you will also meet people from all parts of the world, some just traveling through and some with homes in the area.

Bar Dante has a good pastry selection, great sandwiches, good antipasta plates, one of the best Capreses around (and believe me I’m an expert), a very good panzanella, gelato, and a great wine selection.

Bar Dante does not have a view….. but they have a great patio surrounded by flowers. The location is just as you come into Radda from Castellina, so you have the added entertainment of watching cars come and go, cyclists that are in great shape or those huffing and puffing to come up the hill, trucks lumbering by, occasional traffic jams and of course the locals illegally parking for a minute to toss back a quick coffee or glass of wine.

Right in the middle of Radda is a beautiful restaurant called "Al Chiasso dei Portici" BUT for two very important reasons I just call it the girls place. Obviously it is owned and run by two women chefs…. but more importantly I just can not wrap my tongue around the name.

The girls place has a very classy/cozy interior, and a romantic candle lit, flower draped patio that is absolutely wonderful.

The food is elegant and delicous and the wine list is wonderful. The pasta and bread are homemade daily. I particularly like there insalata and they were nice enough to give me the recipe….. just read the recipe and you know they are chefs.Insalata de "Al Chiasso dei Portici"

lots of basil

A little oregano

some capers

1 cup Orange juice

1/4 cup Lemon juice

little bit of salt

some peeled almondsTo make salad dressing:

Put ingredient into food processor. Add extra olive oil until you reach the right consistence.

1 head butter lettuce

1 head red leaf lettuce

1 head iceberg lettuce

1 Red onion, thinly sliced

3 oranges (all pith removed), thinly sliced

Break lettuce, add red onion and and orange. Dress just before serving

We have driven through Panzano forever. Its main claim to fame is a famous butcher plus some amazing wineries (La Massa’s Giorgio Primo foremost). Many people had told us about a restaurant there called Il Vescovino, which was down an alleyway up near the church. We found it and sat at a table on the patio overlooking the entire valley. This is the so-called "Conca d’Oro", the ear of gold that contains perhaps the best vineyards in all of Chianti. What could be better than sitting on their beautiful tree-covered patio with a spectacular view and, because Italy won the World Cup the previous week, a large Italian flag was blowing in the breeze.

Il Vescovino’s hand written menu changes daily. Just a few example of the fare…. warm pear, pecorino souffle antipasta OR the Penne with sausage and truffles. OR "Cestino di Taglierini ai Porcini…. A round puff pastry topped with fresh pasta topped with fresh Porcini muchrooms in a delicate broth OR homemade rolls studded with black olives OR a fruit tart filled with chunky plum jam OR…… all accompanied by spectacular local wines recommended by their passionate owner and sommelier, Mario.

All in all a perfect long lunch….. but don’t go on Tuesday because they will be closed.

If you want a restaurant with a view it is hard to beat Ristoro di Lamole. You will dine above the hawks with a view that encompasses two valleys and three ridges. Lamole is only 9.5 miles southeast of Greve, but it takes about 20 minutes to drive up the beautiful, curvy, cypress lined road.

We heard about Lamole on one of the travel sites, and after our first lunch, we had to go back twice before our trip ended. The food is wonderful and the view is spectacular.

Our first lunch the antipasta was fresh Tuna Carpaccio, caught the day before and mouth watering. The pastas are hand made and melt in your mouth, the meats are cooked perfectly with creative sauces and the desserts are to die for. The wine list is very good….. try the famous Lamole di Lamole Chianti Classico.

After your leisurely lunch walk around this very little hamlet which consists of a quaint small church and a few houses. When you leave you might want to take the road less traveled. Keep going up the hill and wander the dirt roads. It’s a pretty drive and you will come out at either Volpaia or Panzano.

http://www.ristorodilamole.it/ Closed Monday and Wednesday Lunch

One of the better sandwich bars in Tuscany is between Siena and Florence at the Monteriggioni exit. Bar Dell Orso is a small self service deli and a great place for a light lunch. Take your meal to go or eat at one of their wooden tables. The crowd is a great mix of locals and tourists and the no nonsense service is great. Bar Dell Orso has an incredible selection of delicious meats, cheeses, marinated vegetables and Pork. The Porchetta is on display, head and all!! All accompanied by good Italian beer or wines.

Since you are just below Monteriggioni, it would be a shame to not go up to this incredible town. Monteriggioni is without doubt one of the most classical and best known Italian walled town. Since the Middle Age its fame was so great that also the great poet Dante makes sign to his 'round enclosure' in the Divine Comedy (Hell, chant XXXI vv. 40-41).
The town was built by the Senesis in the years 1213-1219 on a hillock at dominion and overlooking of the Cassia Road. Its ideal position allowed to control the Elsa and the Staggia Valleys in direction in Florence, the historic enemy of Siena, that at that time was rapidly expanding its territory. Park just outside the walls and spend the afternoon. Monteriggioni has done a great job with historical sign, there are some restaurants in town, a great little grocery store, some artsy places, a really wonderful jewelry shop back by the tourist office and the ever present gelateria.