81 Best Restaurants in Tuscany, Italy

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.

If you need a break from sightseeing, stop here for a cappuccino, sandwiches at lunchtime, or the array of appetizers set out during the cocktail hour. In summer, a few outdoor tables are set up directly on Via Nazionale, Cortona's main pedestrian street, and provide a great perch from which to people-watch.

Outdoor seating on Arezzo's main pedestrian square and a tasty range of chef's salads (named after the servers) make this a very pleasant spot for a light lunch during a tour of town. If you're here in the early evening, the dei Costanti serves up an ample buffet of snacks to accompany predinner aperitifs. In continuous operation since 1886, it's the oldest café in Arezzo, with a charming old-world interior.

Come here for a finely crafted sandwich (they have 18 different varieties on the menu), or something more substantial like the crostone ai funghi (a very large portion of toasted bread topped with local, fragrant porcini mushrooms). Tiny local blueberries, in season, appear in numerous guises on the dessert menu. At après-ski time, the place positively hums as the pizza oven is fired up, and happy skiers seat themselves on furniture that looks as if an Alpine Fred Flintstone designed it.

Family-run Da Badò—with Lucia in the kitchen and her sons, Giacomo and Michele, waiting tables—is the best place in town to eat traditional food elbow-to-elbow with locals. Lucia likes to concentrate on just a few dishes, so it won't take long to decide between the standards, all prepared with a sure hand. Consider the zuppa alla volterrana (a soup made with vegetables and bread), pappardelle alla lepre (wide fettuccine with rabbit sauce), or a stew of either rabbit or wild boar. A slice of homemade almond tart is a must.

Locals don't flock to this restaurant on the outskirts of Strada in Chianti for the art on the walls, some of it questionable, most of it kitsch, but instead for the bistecca fiorentina. As big as a breadboard and served rare, one of these justly renowned steaks is enough to feed a family of four, with doggie bags willingly provided if required. First courses are typical, desserts are standard, but the wine list is a varied and extensive surprise. Outdoor seating on the upstairs terrace provides great views of the surrounding countryside.

If you're tired of Tuscan food (it can happen), this place on a side street near the Duomo serves up typical Asian dumplings, as well as those that are completely Italian, such as manzo e porcini (beef with porcini mushrooms). The insalatina di trippa piccante (spicy tripe salad) pays homage to both Asian and Italian cuisine. A fine list of artisanal beers is on offer, as are nicely priced glasses of wine.

Detour off Greve's flower-strewn main square for food that relies heavily on local ingredients (like cheese and salami produced nearby). The lengthy wine list provides a bewildering array of choices to pair with affettati misti or one of the primi (first courses)—the pici (a thick, hand-rolled spaghetti) are deftly prepared here. All dishes are made with great care, and outdoor seating makes summer dining particularly pleasant. It's also possible to simply stop by here and have a glass of wine.

There's no shortage of places to try Vernaccia di San Gimignano, the justifiably famous white wine with which San Gimignano is often singularly associated. At this wine bar, you can buy a glass of Vernaccia di San Gimignano and sit down with a cheese plate or one of the fine crostini.

The outstanding gelato, sorbet, and ices, some of which are sugar-free, served here are prepared three times a day according to the same recipes used by the Arnoldo brothers when they opened the place in 1927. The pièces de résistance are frozen fruits stuffed with creamy filling: don't miss the apricot sorbet–filled apricot.

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

A short drive down a steep, serpentine road from San Miniato brings you to this rustic country ristorante with sponged walls, stenciled decorations, and checkered tablecloths. The main courses are mostly Tuscan classics, such as bistecca fiorentina (a generous cut of grilled steak), but white truffles, the local specialty, are also showcased, and you can get them with pasta, crespelle (thin pancakes filled with ricotta), tripe, eggs, beef fillet—there's even a postprandial truffled grappa. All this good fare pairs marvelously with a fine selection of local, lesser-known wines. If truffles don't float your boat, there are nontruffled things on the menu and, at night, the staff fires up the pizza oven.

Any one of this restaurant's piatti tipici (typical plates) is worth trying, though the local specialty, pici all'aglione (thick, long noodles served with sautéed cherry tomatoes and many cloves of garlic), is done particularly well. The chef also has a deft touch with vegetables; if there's fennel on the menu, make sure to order it. The interior, with white walls, low ceilings, and old wood tables, is cozy and the service is warm and friendly.

It's small, but the very cheery staff is only too happy to provide you with wonderful plates of typical Tuscan food. The kitchen stays open a little bit later than most, which makes this a perfect stop after seeing some of the amazing art that Arezzo has to offer. Reservations are a necessity if you are attending the monthly antiques fair.

This lovely trattoria has been around for a long time, and with good reason. Here, they turn out Tuscan classics, relying heavily on the local cheese (pecorino) and local meats (especially wild boar, among others). The wine list is a marvel, as it's long and very well priced. White walls, tile floors, and red tablecloths create an understated tone that is unremarkable, but once the food starts arriving, it's easy to forgive the lack of decoration. It's just around the corners from the Duomo and Piazza dei Priori, so the location can't be beat.

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: pappardelle al ragù di cinghiale (pappardelle pasta with wild boar sauce) is particularly tasty, and fish also figures on the menu from time to time. For the particularly hungry, there are usually several four-course, fixed-price menus to choose from.

Residents of Colle di Val d'Elsa hold this trattoria in high esteem, even though it's a little overpriced. Tuscan classics fill the large menu, which concentrates on game, particularly pheasant, pigeon, and quail, and pastas differ from the usual fare. The decor is simple; in warmer months outdoor seating on a square is a possibility. The service is first-rate.

Locals crowd into this tiny place with a lovely view at lunch and dinner to feast on treats from the sea. Antipasti such as raw oysters or code di manzancolle (deep-fried shrimp) are perfect starters, followed by delicious pasta dishes or succulent mixed fry. Finish your meal with sgroppino (lemon sorbet pureed with vodka) to help cleanse the palate.

Jazz plays softly in the background as you sip wine and dine either indoors, at rustic tables amid exposed brick-and-stone walls, or alfresco with a splendid view of the Piazza del Duomo. Typical wine-bar fare, such as plates of cured ham and cheese, shares the menu with a surprisingly sophisticated list of daily specials. For example, you might try insalatina con foie gras condita con vinaigrette (foie gras with dressed greens).

An elegantly restored monastery in the upper part of Montepulciano is home to this excellent enoteca (wine bar), which has a wide selection of wines by the glass.

Part of the elegant Hotel Byron but open to the public, La Magnolia is helmed by chef Marco Bernardo, who knows his basics and allows flights of fantasy to take over. The games begin with amuse-bouches; his take on fegatini (a typical Tuscan chicken liver spread) with a gelatin made from Aleatico (a serious red wine) sets the stage for what's to follow. Stellar service and a well-informed sommelier also make the meal memorable, especially when it's served poolside.

The very unassuming decor (wooden tables, wooden chairs) sets the scene for terrific Tuscan food. Though there's not a truffle dish to be found on the menu, there's lots to satisfy the palate. The tasty food arrives in nicely sized portions; excellent house wine is on offer, as are other wines by the bottle, which are all nicely priced; and desserts are pretty good here.

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.

Wine lovers shouldn't miss this wine bar/eatery, which is just off Piazza Grande and has more than 700 labels on its list. Seasonal traditional dishes, such as acquacotta del casentino (porcini mushroom soup) or baccalà in umido (salt-cod stew), are served in the simply decorated, vaulted dining room. You can accompany your meal with one, or more, of the almost 30 wines that are available by the glass. Limited outdoor seating is available in warm weather.

This place could be mistaken for a grandmother's kitchen—it's completely unpretentious, with red-and-white-checked tablecloths and a waitstaff who treat you like an old friend. The restaurant teems with locals who appreciate the rock-bottom prices for well-prepared Tuscan specialties that include a superb tagliolini sui fagioli (thin noodles with beans).

Though it's still very much in the center, it's far from the madding crowds. Wonderful wines pair beautifully with the tasty morsels served atop toasted bread. If you want something more substantial than the delicious cheese plate, soups of the day may be found on the menu. This place is an oasis in a town overrun with day visitors.

It bills itself as a caffetteria/ristorante, which means it opens at 7 in the morning for coffee, serves lunch and dinner, and then closes well after dinner is over. Warm-color, sponged walls and simple wooden tables and chairs provide the backdrop for some tasty fare. They're particularly big on fish here; if it's available, order the calamari spadellati su crema di fagioli alla paprika e valeriana (panfried squid on a creamy bean puree spiced with paprika and garnished with delicate green leaves). The lasagna is ample, cheesy, and thoroughly satisfying; the service is great; and the wine list is strong on local wines.

On the daily menu you're likely to find both Sienese standards, such as spaghetti saporiti con agli aromi (with tomatoes and herbs), as well as more offbeat selections like bocconcini di pollo alla mediterranea (tender chicken cooked in a robust tomato-and-olive sauce). Husband-and-wife team Simone Romi and Sabrina Fabi are committed to including piatti di verdura (vegetarian dishes) among the choices, and they've put together a great wine list. A tasting menu allows you to sample just about all the daily specials. The little restaurant with high vaulted ceilings is in the oldest part of town.

This charming, white-walled restaurant, a few steps from Piazza dei Cavalieri, is reason enough to come to Pisa. They can do it all here—serve up exquisitely grilled fish dishes, please vegetarians, and prepare tagliata for meat lovers. Three set menus, from the sea, garden, and earth, are available, or you can order à la carte. For dinner there's an early seating (around 7:30) and a later one (around 9); opt for the later one if you want time to linger over your meal.