As a region, Tuscany needs no introduction. This is the land of cypress trees and vineyards, Renaissance palazzos, winding roads and hilltop villages. It’s the home of Florence, Siena and Pisa, the birthplace of Dante, Da Vinci and Michelangelo. Shaped by the ancient Etruscans, the Romans and the Medici dynasty, Tuscany is home to some of Italy’s most beautiful destinations and down its cobbled streets is the place to look if you’re on the hunt for the best trattorias in Tuscany.
Deeply rooted in rural traditions and subsistence farming, Tuscan food is hearty, seasonal and unpretentious. It’s often referred to as La Cucina Povera, or so-called ‘peasant cooking’, with plenty of offal, stews and humble garden vegetables. The northern regions call the Tuscans ‘bean-eaters’, mocking the regional obsession with pulses and legumes. And while this is true, Tuscany’s cuisine is much more than that.
The cosy trattoria is a gateway into authentic, delicious and age-old Tuscan dishes
Take peposo, for example, a robust beef and peppercorn stew that was invented in the 1400s in the village of Impruneta and cooked in the ovens used to bake the terracotta tiles atop the Florence Duomo. Visit any old-fashioned Tuscan trattoria in winter, and you’re likely to find this same ancient dish on the menu. Bistecca Fiorentina, or Florentine steak, is another such example, said to have its origins around the 1500s when medieval knights from England were passing through Florence and requested ‘beef steak’, which was then adapted to the word ‘bistecca.’
Tuscany’s cosy trattorias – less formal than a restaurant, but more substantial than the snacky, wine-focused osteria – are a gateway into these authentic, delicious and age-old dishes. We’re talking family-run establishments with chequered tablecloths, hand-written menus, and straw-wrapped fiascos of red wine on the table. See our list of the best trattorias in Tuscany below.
13 of the best trattorias in Tuscany
View this post on Instagram
Vini e Vecchi Sapori
Florence
In general, the best trattorias in Tuscany are found tucked down cobbled side streets or outside the city centre, away from the main thoroughfares and piazzas. Not so with Vini e Vecchi Sapori, which bucks the trend and is hidden in plain sight in one of Florence’s most touristy squares: Piazza della Signoria. It’s just a short saunter from the Uffizi Galleries and the Duomo, and inside the walls are clad with rows of wine bottles, old newspaper clippings and black and white photos of Florence in days gone by. The food, served at well-worn wooden tables, is simple and exquisite: piles of thick tagliatelle with slow-cooked duck ragù, tripe, grilled lamb cutlets, and their famous saffron and courgette flower pasta throughout the summer months. For pudding, raspberry tiramisu hits the spot every time, washed down with a shot glass of raspberry-infused grappa.
instagram.com/vini_e_vecchi_sapori/
Via dei Magazzini, 3r, Florence; +39 055 293045
Trattoria Cibrèo
Florence
Cibrèo is named after a humble and almost-forgotten Tuscan peasant dish, made from chicken combs, cockscomb and wattle (the fleshy hanging part under the beak). Though they rarely serve this exact offal dish on the menu, the trattoria stays true to its roots in bringing Tuscan countryside traditions to the vibrant market quarter of Sant’Ambrogio. Founded in 1979 by Fabio Picchi and now run by his son Giulio, this is now one of the best trattorias in Tuscany and an homage to a disappearing way of rural life in the countryside around Florence. Many restaurants claim to have a ‘strong focus on produce’, but with the market literally metres away, Cibrèo is a place where you can really taste this: the freshest summer tomatoes made into a sensational gelatina, drizzled with grassy olive oil, or the first spring globe artichokes served ‘alla mamma’ over buttery potato purée and a confit egg yolk. For a more formal dining experience, the adjacent ristorante serves up a similar concept from the same kitchen, but with a culinary finesse, white tablecloths and a price point to suit.
Via Andrea del Verrocchio, 8r, Florence; +39 055 234 1100
View this post on Instagram
Da Delfina
Montalbano
In the small village of Artimino – less than an hour’s drive from Florence – Da Delfina is a classic Sunday lunch spot for Florentines and tourists alike. This is the kind of place you order antipasti, primi, secondi and dolci, lingering over each course and rolling out many hours later. The menu is short and meat-heavy: feast on rabbit, wild boar, bistecca, crostini misti and vegetables from the land, saving room for the somewhat legendary rice pudding served with lashings of orange marmalade. In spring and summer, the terrace of this crumbling Medici-era villa is impossibly picturesque, gazing out onto olive groves and the rolling Montalbano hills below. In winter, sit inside by the fire, enjoying the smell of meat cooking slowly over the grill. Owner Carlo Cioni took this place over from his mother Delfina, and is passionate about the history of this little slice of countryside and its cucina povera (or so-called peasant-cooking) traditions.
Via della Chiesa, 1, 59015 Artimino; +39 055 871 8074
Antica Venezia
Livorno
The Renaissance port city of Livorno is often overlooked by tourists in favour of Pisa, but those who do venture here will discover a rich and unique culinary heritage. Alongside all the classic Tuscan dishes, the cuisine is influenced by centuries of trade with the Ottoman Empire and beyond, as well as flavours from up and down the French-Italian coastline. Tucked away by the canals, the family-run Trattoria L’antica Venezia is a diamond in the rough and one of the best trattorias in Tuscany. On a summer’s evening, bag one of the trestle tables outside and dive into plates of fritti misti – an assortment of local deep-fried seafood – followed by spaghetti alla vongole piled high with buttery clams, parsley and grated lemon zest. This is also the place to try baccalà alla Livornese, Livorno’s signature salted cod, lightly breaded and served with summer tomatoes and onions. The menu changes depending on the catch of the day and is written on a chalkboard that fills the main wall inside.
Piazza Dei Domenicani 15, Livorno; +39 0586 887353
View this post on Instagram
La Capanna dello Zio Tom
Castiglioncello
There are no chequered tablecloths and cosy wood-clad corners at La Capanna dello Zio Tom. Instead, this trattoria comes and goes with the seasons, erected each spring just metres from the beach at Castiglioncello. Throughout the summer months, swimmers and sunbathers stroll up here after a morning on the beach to savour the freshest fritti di mare and seafood pasta, enjoyed to the sound of the waves and the occasional pesky seagull. Yet despite the al fresco vibes, those quintessential hallmarks of the classic Tuscan trattoria remains: hearty portions, unpretentious service, paper tablecloths, bitter espressos and homely cooking are all here in abundance.
instagram.com/lacapannadelloziotom
Via del, Lungomare del Quercetano 1/c, Castiglioncello; +39 334 397 4542
Antica Macelleria Cecchini
Panzano
Made famous by Chef’s Table on Netflix, this old butchers-meets-restaurant has shot into the spotlight over the last few years. Aside from making bookings a little harder to come by, very little has changed: charismatic and larger-than-life owner Dario Cecchini, an eighth-generation butcher with a palpable passion for his work, is still there reciting Dante and guffawing away as he chats to guests. The menu is a celebration of Tuscan beef, nose-to-tail cooking before it became cool. Start with an aperitivo drink and snack in the adjacent butcher-shop before heading through to long, communal tables. A large bottle of house Chianti is plonked on the table, essentially bottomless, as you’re taken through different cuts and styles of beef, as well as other meat dishes in the heart of the Chianti region. Dario is known not only for his masterful butchery but also for his deep respect for the animals he prepares, and this is one of the best places in Tuscany for a spot of steak indulgence.
Via XX Luglio, 11, 50022 Panzano in Chianti, Greve in Chianti; +39 055 852020
View this post on Instagram
Arduino Osteria Ancestrale
Castagneto Carducci
Arduino is a trattoria that offers traditional Tuscan cooking with a contemporary edge, located in the hills near Castagneto Carducci and not far from Bolgheri. The farm-to-table osteria is a labour of love from young couple Fabrizio and Martina, who left the city and returned to Fabrizio’s family farm to open their own place. But rather than opening yet another agriturismo, they’ve taken regenerative farm-to-table cooking to new and exciting places. Figs, onions, tomatoes, fennel, beetroot and plum, all grown here, are not simply made into jams and pasta sauces. Instead, you’ll sample onion stalk (usually discarded) piped with basil and lemon granita, a shot of fig leaf infusion, a plum sambal. There’s no fixed menu, but the food is almost always vegetarian and primarily cooked over fire. Despite the culinary creativity, the decor is rustic yet elegant, with a warm atmosphere that feels like stepping into a Tuscan home. Arrive early and have a stroll around the eight hectares of organically farmed land, with a vineyard, four varieties of olive trees, hundreds of fruit trees and animals grazing.
poderearduino.com/osteria-ancestrale-ita
loc. Magazzino, 57022 Castagneto Carducci; +39 324 903 1810
View this post on Instagram
L’Osteria di Casa Chianti
Certaldo
Get away from the crowds and take the train from Florence to the sleepy, little-visited town of Certaldo for lunch in the countryside. Once here, hike or take a short taxi into the hills to L’Osteria di Casa Chianti, a true old-school establishment that’s been run by the same family for decades. While they do serve excellent wines, Casa Chianti isn’t part of a vineyard, and instead serves wines from across Tuscany and beyond. The bread is baked each day in a traditional wood oven and the pasta made by hand, drizzled with exquisite grassy olive oil made from their own olives. If you like what you try, the olive oil is available to take home by the litre too.
Via Lucardese, 82, 50052 Certaldo; +39 0571 669688
Trattoria Cammillo
Florence
In a city overrun by tourists, Cammillo remains reassuringly unchanged by the whims and trends of the moment. This family-run trattoria is one of Florence’s most iconic and has been a stalwart on Florence’s dining scene since 1945. Today, it’s still run by Cammillo’s granddaughter, Chiara, who you’ll often spot greeting guests like old friends and checking everything is shipshape. The restaurant is made up of several small dining rooms; opt for the main room at the entrance for the best atmosphere. While it’s more expensive than some other trattorias, the outstanding daily specials – light-as-a-feather fried courgette flowers, handmade tagliatelle with fresh porcini mushrooms, tagliarini in a ham and artichoke sauce, or baccalà alla Livornese (a traditional salt cod dish) – are invariably worth it.
instagram.com/trattoriacammillo/
Borgo San Jacopo 57r, Florence; +39 055 212427
Mangiando Mangiando
Greve in Chianti
The sweet market town of Greve in Chianti is a mainstay on the Tuscan vineyard circuit, and well-located for many winery tours. Soak up all the drinking with a hearty meal at Mangiando Mangiando (which translates to ‘eating, eating’), a laid-back trattoria located right in the central piazza. Platters of cured meats and crostini are generous in size, as are the pasta dishes. Peposo, the slow-cooked peppercorn beef stew originating in the nearby village of Impruneta, is cooked in Chianti Classico wine and served with potatoes and cannellini beans al forno.
Piazza Giacomo Matteotti, 80, 50022 Greve in Chianti; +39 055 854 6372
View this post on Instagram
Teatro del Mare
Piombino
Piombino is usually a stopping-off point on the way to the island of Elba, but if you find yourself in need of a good lunch before travelling then you’re in luck with Teatro del Mare. This excellent trattoria is tucked down by the water in the heart of the historic harbour, so close that you feel like you’re on a boat. Translated as ‘theatre of the sea’, the main attraction is its historic waterfront setting but the food more than lives up to the views of the boats coming in and out. Prices are in line with the market catch of the day, and giant langoustine, cod, mackerel and anchovies all find their way onto the menu. This Tuscan trattoria is a short drive from the modern ferry port over to Elba and also a cordoned-off swimming area where you can take a cooling dip after lunch.
Piazza Giovanni Bovio 5, Piombino; +39 0565 49346
La Bottega di Elena
Bolgheri
Bolgheri town is in the heart of prime wine country, surrounded by Super-Tuscan vineyards. Perched on top of a hill inside medieval ramparts, this idyllic walled village is also an underrated foodie hotspot, with access to the best sun-drenched produce but also just a few miles from the Tyrrhenian Sea. For a casual lunch after strolling around the village, make a beeline for La Bottega di Elena, a casual spot in the very centre but one of the best trattorias in Tuscany nonetheless. Don’t skimp on the antipasti – giant platters of crostini topped with fegato (liver pâté) and lardo, artisanal cheeses and an array of cold cut meats. The handwritten menu features hyper-regional dishes like pici with ragù, Livornese-style tripe and giant chickpeas with anchovies, drowned in olive oil.
Strada Giulia, 2, 57022 Bolgheri; +39 0565 762141
Trattoria La Casa del Prosciutto
Vicchio
While most tourists head south of Florence towards Chianti, the northeastern rolling hills of Mugello have beautiful scenery and produce with a fraction of the visitors. Perched on the edge of a river, Casa del Prosciutto serves cured meats (as the name suggests) special enough to make it one of the best trattorias in Tuscany but there are also great pasta dishes and wines from a range of tiny producers. Service is slapdash and familial, and the interiors are all wood-clad walls and red chequered tablecloths. After eating your fill, enjoy an amaro or grappa at the bar, before a stroll (or cooling dip) along the nearby river.
Via Ponte a Vicchio, 1, 50039 Vicchio; +39 055 844031
