I’ve read just about every Italy post I could on WB and it’s been a great help, so thanks to everyone who’s previously asked and answered!
My wife and I are heading to Italy in September, spending:
2 Nights in Florence - Booked at Enoteca Pitti Gola e Cantina. On our radar is Ristorante Parione, Le Volpi e l’Uva, Osteria Cinghiale Bianco, Il Santo Bevitore, La Cova, Coquinarius, Osteria dell’Enoteca, La Ménagère
3 Nights in Chianti Info Below (Unfortunately we don’t think there’s time to fit in Montalcino this trip, but we’ll be back)
1 Night outside of Modena at Casa Maria Luigia - Booked at Francescana
3 Nights in Bologna - On our radar is Ristorante Da Cesari, Sfoglia Rina, Trattoria da Me, MozzaBella, Sette Tavoli, Ristorante Biagi, Enoteca Italiana, I Conoscenti, Camera con Vista Bistrot, Mò Mortadella Lab
4 Nights in Praiano on the Amalfi Coast - On our radar is Cialì Bistrot, Ristorante Le Tre Sorelle, Casa e Bottega, Il Ritrovo, Franco’s Bar, La Sponda, Il Pirata Ristorante, Melchiò
2 Nights in Rome - Booked at Roscioli. On our radar is Rimessa, Piccolo Buco, Sotto Sopra, Enoteca Ferrara, Achilli, Argot, Pesceria Barberini
Any suggestions are much appreciated!
I’m specifically looking for help with our stint in Chianti. Our draft itinerary is full of some of the more major Chianti producers. One reason for this is ease of planning (hard to find solid recommendations for smaller outfits), but also because we enjoy all of their Chianti Classicos/Riservas, and it will be nice to taste some of their higher dollar wines and still be able to purchase them (due to wide distribution) after we come home if something we haven’t tasted tickles our fancy.
Anything we should skip? Anything we can’t miss? Currently Tenuta di Carleone is the only smaller outfit we’re visiting so it would be great to get a suggestion or two for a more under the radar producer. Also feel free to critique the lunch/dinner choices.
Antinori (Drop-in) - An easy place to hit on the drive out of Florence
Lunch
Casa Emma (Reservation) - Have heard only good things about their lunch/tasting combo and convenient heading from Antinori to our hotel
After Lunch
Locanda le Piazze Hotel (Reservation) - Our Hotel for the next 3 nights. No tastings as we decided to take it easy after leaving Florence and spending the afternoon at Casa Emma
Dinner
Tavola di Guido (Reservation) - Taking advantage of the hotel’s restaurant on the first evening since it looks worthwhile
Tenuta di Carleone (Reservation) - Still finalizing a tasting with them, but very excited to try the wines from this smaller, buzzy winery
Lunch
Osteria Di Fonterutoli (Reservation) - Maybe a little touristy, but conveinent to tasting some wine at Marchesi Mazzei afterwards
After Lunch
Marchesi Mazzei (Drop-In) - Mainly walking over after lunch to taste a glass of Siepi (hoping to conclude that it’s unnecessary for me to ever buy a bottle)
Castellare di Castellina (Reservation) - Doing a full tour and tasting here, but mostly to try some Niccolò and Poggio ai Merli (again, hoping to decide they’re not worth the bottle price)
Dinner
Officina della Bistecca (Reservation) - Afraid this will be a bit of a tourist trap with how famous Dario is, but it looks enjoyable nonetheless
I have comments on a few in your list. I hope they are helpful!
In Florence, Enoteca Pitti Gola e Cantina is a can’t miss. Awesome, awesome. I would consider going to Florence, out of my way, just to get back here. I had a 1970 Volpaia Chianti riserva there by the GLASS a few years ago. Wow. Osteria Chinghiale Bianco is good, nice atmosphere. There may be more interesting spots foodwise but it is a solid osteria. I love Oltrarno in general as a place to wander and enjoy, so you should definitely make it to that side of town.
In Rome, we did not have a great experience at Enoteca Ferrara. Looked great online, execution in terms of food not great when we went. Service fine, wine fine, but we would’ve done better somewhere else. I really like Retrobottega for a more modern experience, with a great wine program too. If all is well, we will be in Rome in August, so I’ll report back here.
Roscioli is great, see Katie Parla’s recs on how to best experience it, they are on her blog site.
Le Volpi e L’Uva is our favorite place in Firenze and I can’t recommend it enough. In my opinion the best Bistecca is at Buca Lapi, but book ahead.
Yes Cecchini’s place is touristy, but you have to go. It’s a classic.
One of our favorite producers in Chianti is Capannelle, in Gaiole. See if you can contact them and set up a tasting with Emanuele. Great stuff. It’s also a really great place to stay at!
Without a doubt Parione is a terrific restaurant in Florence .Marco has a tremendous cellar and service is top notch only exceeded by the quality of the food-been there over 50 times and cannot recommend it strongly enough……cheers:plate_with_cutlery:
Points well taken! We’re definitely guilty of overplanning (maybe more so as a first post-COVID trip), but for us it’s a really enjoyable part of the process. Most of our planning is finding options for lunch/dinner/drinks so that we have spots we can count on (with wine country being the exception). Very happy to stumble in discoveries on the ground though.
As for the amount of traveling, I think the Casa Maria stay of 1 night makes it look worse than it is (the stay and Massimo dinner was a wedding gift that we’re looking forward to, so we can deal). We started with Chianti and Amalfi, then needed flights in and out so put Florence and Rome on the shoulders. Bologna was chosen as a less touristy, young, but still small enough city to explore and meander through. We thought about southern Tuscany instead of Bologna, but in the end though we needed a change of pace after Chainti.
Thanks! Noted about Ferrara and Retrobottega. I’m sure we’ll do a bit of wandering around Oltrarno.
Thanks! Glad to know we’re on the right track. Capannelle looks like a great option to maybe replace one of the bigger producers.
In Florence, we enjoyed Coquinarius so much for lunch that we returned - and we were in Florence for only 3 days. Osteria dell Enoteca is same ownership as Enoteca Pitti Gola. Fine bistecca alla Fiorentino, terrific wine list and service but somewhat redundant.
Incredible trip. I have been going to Europe since I was a toddler and was even stationed in Germany for thee years right after the wall fell. I have never seen so few tourists. If you can go now….go. Take a look at my Rome pics….place was empty. Had a few Florence shops tell us we were the first US tourists they had seen in 16 months. Zeb was crazy good. Hands down our best overall meal of the trip. His mother was awesome as well.
I guess I’m in the minority. Food is good, not amazing like Cibreo. The attraction is very aged chianti on a wine list, which I love. But it’s the wine list that’s awesome in my mind, not the food.