i really wish there was a yelp.com for italy... it would make the whole restaurant planning much easier. anyhow, i am starting to get into the details of my trip planning and i need some recommendations for restaurants. i will be in the following cities / towns / neighborhoods:

rome - apartment is in piazza navona / will be all over rome
amalfi coast - hotel is in positano / visiting ravello, amalfi, and capri
tuscany - agriturismo is in monticchiello / visiting val d'orcia, siena, san gimignano
venice - hotel is in cannaregio siestre / will be all over venice

if there are great places nearby to where my lodging is, even better, but i am willing to go out of my way for amazing food and overall memorable dining experience. i am particularly interested in alfresco dining [with or without a view]. if you have any restaurants in mind, please let me know where it is located and which meal is recommended [brunch / lunch / dinner]. i am open to all price ranges, but not ridiculously expensive.

thanks so much!

OK, I'll start with my favorite:

Ristoro di Lamole in the hills of Chianti near Greve.

http://www.ristorodilamole.it/en/res...e-chianti.html

Hi - One of my favourites near Positano is -

'La Tagliata' (- above Montepertuso)
http://www.latagliata.com/

Superb coastal views stretching as far as Capri (- Faraglioni)

Steve

There is no brunch in Italy. It stands to reason that you will get better views at lunch than at dinner, which is after 8 pm in Italy.

Here are a couple more.

In Monticchiello:
Osteria La Porta - Right as you walk into town, this restaurant has a picture postcard Tuscan view from its balcony.
http://www.osterialaporta.it/osteria.en.php

In Venice:
Bar/Ristorante La Piscina at Pensione La Calcina. Food is not overly memorable, but its spot on the Giudecca Canal is terrific for lunch, a sunset dinner or even just a late drink on a moonlit night at an affordable price. Picture is on hotel homepage.
http://www.lacalcina.com/

http://www.caffeciampini.com/

www.matricianella.it

Thin

Generally speaking, I think there's an inverse relationship between great food and a great view - restaurants that provide great views/scenary don't need to provide great food, because people will eat there anyway.

Chowhound is a good foodie resource (more discerning than yelp).

Venice:

One of our favorites, and it has outdoor dining along a canal, is Anice Stellato. A bit higher than medium-priced. We've only gone there for dinner, a number of times. Creative twist on local cuisine. In a quiet, out-of-the-way location in the Cannaregio.

La Piscina, Dorsoduro - I agree it has beautiful views, but I too found the food mediocre (lunch).

Trattoria dei Greci, canal dei Greci, near Ponte dei Greci, Castello. Like most of Venice, over-priced, but the food isn't bad, and the location on a busy side canal is fabulous for boat and gondola-watching (lunch).

Osteria alla Frasca, Cannaregio 5176. Simple, local cuisine in a location that was almost impossible to find.

Siena - Have drinks on the Campo at Liberamente Osteria Wine Bar. Good wine bar, and very nice complementary appetizers.

San Gimignano - This one is not al fresco, but a great restaurant, Il Dorando; it's a member of the Slow Food movement, http://www.ristorantedorando.it/.

Rome

We love to eat outside, and it seems like it's always warm enough to eat outside in Rome; all these places have outdoor dining.

Ditirambo - has a few outdoor tables, but they've always been full when we've been there (dinner). Creative twist on local cuisine, open on Sunday nights. http://www.ristoranteditirambo.it/

Il Drappo - Romantic inside, quiet al fresco dining. Sardinian food, seafood of course, one of the best risottos of our entire trip (dinner). http://www.ildrappo.it/

Montecarlo - Pizzeria, sister restaurant to the more famous Baffetto. Offers pizza at lunch.

Il Bacaro - Looks like an Italian restaurant would look like if you made it up. Cramped interior, al fresco dining in a tiny piazza. We enjoyed it, but Il Drappo and Ditirambo are better (though also possibly more expensive).

Pierluigi - More seafood, huge outdoor dining area, seemed very popular with the Romans (dinner).

l'Angoletto - Very pretty al fresco dining, food was good but not great, good location for lunch in between tourist sights.

Have a new favorite in venice...Osteria Olivo Nera on Calle dei Greci.

"Ditirambo - has a few outdoor tables, but they've always been full when we've been there (dinner). Creative twist on local cuisine, open on Sunday nights. http://www.ristoranteditirambo.it/"

If you eat here, take a pass on the lamb chops.

bm

In my experience, al fresco dining often is of lesser quality. The Italians tend to dine inside - and not before 9 p.m. With my Italian friends, we usually met a 9 p.m. in a restaurant for the apéritif. We would not sit down at the table before 10 p.m.

The huge outdoor dining areas of restaurants at Piazza Navona etc. are geared to tourists and usually offer poor, overpriced food.

In Rome, we often dined at Costanza, a restaurant which is built inside the ruins of an ancient theater and where you sit between 2000-year-old brickwork. We often noticed that the tourists who were eating outside were served significantly worse than the patrons who were eating inside.

BTW, for restaurant search, I strongly recommend www.viamichelin.com. The Bib Gourmand is an excellent indicator for good food at moderate prices.

"In my experience, al fresco dining often is of lesser quality."
In major cities like Florence, Venice and Rome, I would agree with Echnaton, but in small towns, as in Tuscany, you will be able to find exceptional meals whether you sit outdoors or in.
My favorite way to search for restaurants is to take a stroll and use my nose--never fails me.

Not al fresco and not inexpensive but Antica Osteria da Divo and La Taverna di San Giuseppe in Siena were both great!

www.osteriadadivo.it


www.tavernasangiuseppe.it/index-eng.htm

My experience has been that except for one or two restaurants that are special destinations, most of our restaurant visits depend on where we are at meal time, and that is very unpredictable when touring Rome, for example. And there are lots of nice little places with good food and friendly family owners all over the place.