Would love some great suggestions on wonderful restaurants in the Chianti region -- I'll be staying in the Tignano area, near Tavarnelle and not far from San Gimignano (about 20 km)... but suggestions in Radda in Chianti, etc. also appreciated. <BR> <BR>Also has anyone stayed in either the Hermitage Hotel or the Cavour Hotel in Milan?

Anyone out there? Just need a couple of good Chianti region restaurant suggestions (not including Florence).

Try Antica La Torre in Castellini and <BR>Cane e Gato in Siena. For a mild splurge try Castello di Spaltenna just <BR>out of Gaiole for their Tuscan buffet. <BR> <BR>It is hard to go wrong--this is Italy.

We liked Osteria alla Piazza in La Piezza (between Castellina in Chianti and Panzano). Borgo Antico in Lucolena was also worth the drive, as was Ristorante Dorando in San Gimignano. Oltro Jardin in Panzano is another good choice. Cadogan publishes a book called Lazy Days out in Tuscany which describes 20 restaurants. We've tried quite a few of them over several trips and found them to be quite good.

We liked Ristorante Le Vigne, just outside of Radda if coming from Siena/Greve direction. And we also liked Antica La Torre in Castellina in Chianti - but make a reservation.

Bjorkk: <BR> <BR>Consider Gallopapa in Castellina, located in old wine cellars underneath the town - very charming and wonderful food. We ate at La Torre also and it was good, but Gallopapa was a highlight of our trip. Agree with above - reservations anywhere good are essential. <BR> <BR>Dan

Bjorkk, <BR> <BR>Just returned from there and had a excellent lunch at the restuarant at Brolio castle not far from Gaiole. Also, the restaurant at Badia e Coltibuono, also near Gaiole, has a terrific reputation. It looked and smelled great when we stopped in for my wife to use the facilities.

Just back also from 3 weeks in Italy (2 in Tuscany). Some thoughts & opinions: <BR> <BR>1. Reservations are essential in most every restaurant. <BR>2. Badia e Coltibuono - one of the WORST meals of the trip! So bad, in fact, that we didn't finish the main dishes (and we are good eaters!). I complained (politely) to the manager/waiter, and they did take the cost off the bill. The menu choices were very limited, and quite uninspired. Nothing like the menu posted on their web site. <BR>3. Le Vigne - RUN to this restaurant (but call for reservations first). The best place we ate at in Chianti. It's about 1 km outside of Radda heading towards Gaiole. Look for a large sign on the right, then turn down the dirt road and follow it to the restaurant. Food was superb, service was excellent. <BR>4. Il Pozzo, Monteriggione - A lovely, small restaurant. They only do 1 seating a night, so call around noon for that day (or the day before). Food was great, service outstanding, setting wonderful. A great experience. <BR>5. Le Piazze (outside of Castellina, on the road to San Donato in Poggio) - OK. The setting is beautiful, the food was OK. Not bad, just not as good as others. <BR>6. La Torre, Castellina - overrated. Food was OK, but tables are jammed in one on top of the other. Not my favorite dining experience. <BR>7. Pestell, outside of Castellina - take the road to Poggibonsi, and it's about 6 or 7 km out on the right. Looks like an old farmhouse. Our 2nd favorite restaurant in Chianti. The cinghiale in umido (wild boar) is the best here. I had grilled fresh porcini mushrooms larger than my hand for my 1st course - I can still taste them! Many tables of locals were ordering the bistecca - they were running close to 4 Kg (!) in size!! When we left at 11:00, people were still coming in for dinner. <BR> <BR>Buon Appetito! <BR>-Paul <BR>

Sorry, the name of the last restaurant is "Pestello".

Badia e Coltibuono was one of the worst meals we had in Tuscany. Restrict yourself to using their facilities.

Everyone -- thank you so far for the suggestions! Fabulous!

Last year, I would have agreed with the strong criticisms of Badia e Coltibuono. The restaurant had been sold about 6 years ago and the food quality had fallen off dramatically. However, a new chef has been installed and we found the food to be excellent. We returned to dine at the restaurant a second time this past July. I would encourage people to try it, at least for the view alone! <BR>Carol l

My husband and I also enjoyed Osteria La Piazze. It is in the little town of La Piazza, a small town off the S222 about 10km north of Castellina. It's a comfortable restaurant with great views and a warm atmosphere. While it is good dining, it's not super elegant dining, but we found it very comfortable and soothing. <BR>We also ate at Il Vescovino, in Panzano, which is more elegant and the food is excellent. But my husband and I found that we were treated somewhat rudely. It may have been that it was very busy (summer), and we were not eating huge meals and weren't, somehow, "deserving" <BR>(that was our impression, mind you); but we ended up feeling ignored, while the couple next to us seemed to be getting dish after dish with great service. It is a good restaurant, though, and our experience may not have been typical. <BR> <BR>We also felt that La Torre, Castellina was overrated. The food was very dull, and why people recommended it escaped us completely. <BR> <BR>Enjoy the area-- it is beautiful!

I highly reccommend I Cavallacci Ristorante in the town of Impruneta, just south of Florence. The food is wonderful, the dining room FULL of only locals, and a great guy named Michel who is your host. The address is V.le A. Moro, 3 - Impruneta. The phone # is: 055 231 3863. gogogo!

We ate at Badia e Coltibuono less than a month ago, so our bad impressions are based on recent data. The views are beautiful.

We had lunch at La Badia e Coltibuono in May and it was excellent. Their Reserva was outstanding. We also loved the family run tratoria in the tiny village where we stayed, San Sano. It was called Grotto of the Frog (can't remember Italiano for frog).

Like Marija, we ate at Badia a Coltibuono very recently (2 weeks ago), and I stand by my "thumbs down". The wine list was extensive, but the food was poorly prepared. Sorry - I wouldn't waste my lire on this place again.