Dining Al Fresco in Tuscany with a view
 

It's cold here in New England today so that just sounds so nice! :-)

DH and I will be traveling to Tuscany for a week at the end of June into early July. We've been several times and are familiar with the region and we'll be staying just outside of Pienza. One of our favorite things to do at this time of the year is eat al fresco and a few of our favorite restaurants in the area are Boccon di Vino in Montalcino, La Grotta in Montepulciano and The Loggia at the Villa San Michele in Fiesole.

We're not gourmet diners by any means. I would love to try a few new restaurants during our trip. Does anyone have any favorite restaurants in this region that also offers a view as well? We'd be willing to travel within an hour of Pienza and of course we have car.

I thought I remembered seeing a thread on this but I couldn't find it.

Thank you in advance!

Thank you kybourbon. I haven't been but, it was on my list of possibilities. The folks on Trip Advisor seem to like it as well. Appreciate the input!

Have you been to La Porta in Montichiello?

OK, very old rec--from the year '00---Panzano restaurant w/panoramic view. Appears to have been this spot:

Il Vescovino

PS not sure if it is close to Pienza--bad on geography!

I second Lamole and Vescovino. Both are in the Chianti region, not too near Pienza. Both are great and Lamole especially has lovely views.

My only caveat is that there is no smoking in a restaurant, so smokers mostly dine Al Fresco.

Lamole is about a 2 hour drive from Pienza---too far for me.
La Porta is a great idea, but the view is only from the terrace so book ahead.

Lamole is about a 2 hour drive from Pienza---too far for me.
La Porta is a great idea, but the view is only from the terrace so book ahead.

Last spring, we stayed between Pienza and Montepulciano. One afternoon's activity was to go to Ristorante Conte Matto in Trequanda for lunch. Outdoor terrace, view and absolutely delicious food. The owner is the chef. It was a delightful afternoon.

These are wonderful, thanks so much for the suggestions! Can't wait to check out their menus & hopefully some pix with the view. Great food AND a view, that's a hard combo to beat!

Again, need to be clear that it was 10 yrs.....but our dinners (we ate there 2X) in Panzano were superb. I remember a pork dish that was so great. Only years later did DH read the New Yorker article feature on the Butcher of Panzano. This town was so tiny, we thought we had discovered it--:)--but here was the New Yorker knowing about it! Anyway, since the town's butcher is so word renowned, it is not a surprise that I remember outstanding meat at a restaurant there.

We were staying at an ancient house that had been turned into a B&B, just outside of the town, which is how/why we happened to eat at the restaurant twice.

socialworker - Panzano is in Chianti north of Siena and Pienza is south of Siena in southern Tuscany. They are not near each other. We were in Panzano when they had a wine festival; it was a lot of fun. I know the butcher that you refer to. We had read about him before we went. He is very well known.

According to Trip Advisor, Il Ristoro di Lamole is coming in at #12 of ALL restaurants in Tuscany. Is it really THAT good? Just curious because TA is a good tool but, often not a perfect science. I'd consider driving that far for one night. Just making sure this is THE restaurant worth driving for.

Many thanks to all of you.

Thanks, cpg! As I said, very bad on geography here.

Over 3 hours round trip for a good meal in Italy? After a big dinner with wine, a 20 minute drive is enough for me. There are so many wonderful restaurants in the area where you'll be staying. Consider staying in Chianti on another trip.

Another vote for Conte Matteo in Trequanda. We were so enchanted by it's patio, view and menu that we had two meals there during 7 days in Val d'Orca.

enewell - I have some photos of my lunch there! I loved the stone floor with the short grass growing between the tiles.

Thank you for the recommendation of Conte Matteo, it looks lovely!

What about Latte di Luna? Outdoors, delicious food, but no view.
We loved La Grotta too.

fyi It's Conte Matto.

On a somewhat related note, I was looking at Dean's list of recommended restaurants for Tuscany, specifically Southern Tuscany, on the SlowTrav website. I know his list is fairly old (it looks like it might have been put together in the early 2000's) so, I was curious if many of these recommendations would still be what people would still recommend today?

Here's a link to the restaurant listing:
http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/restau...scany_dean.htm

We ate at Vescovino yesterday and it was wonderful. We stopped going there a couple of years ago because we were irritated by the service a couple of times.

If you were to want to drive meander this way then here are great choices:
Lamole best food by far and the view is good
Vescovino was good food and the view is to die for
La Bottega in Volpia is good

Further south:
We have heard that Villa a Sesta has a good restaurant that is on the south part of the village.
Latte di Luna in Pienza is good food

I have a good list of restaurants but it is mainly for Chianti. Just email if you like [email protected]

Paris,

Yes it is Il Ristro di Lamole and you will need a reservation call them at 055.854.7050 or [email protected]

<<On a somewhat related note, I was looking at Dean's list of recommended restaurants for Tuscany, specifically Southern Tuscany, on the SlowTrav website. I know his list is fairly old (it looks like it might have been put together in the early 2000's) so, I was curious if many of these recommendations would still be what people would still recommend today?>>


Il Tufo Allegro (Pitigliano)- Excellent.

La Chiusa (Montefollnico)- Excellnt and expensive. It's been a couple of years since I went. Probably too expensive for me to return.

Da Mario (Buonconvento)- very good.

AllAntico Forno (San Quirico)- Very good.

Conte Matto (Trequanda)- Excellent. One of my favorites.

La Solita Zuppa (Chiusi)- One of the worst meals I've had in over 25 visits to Italy. Do not eat here! The food, service and atmosphere are all terrible.

Zoecat, thank you so much! This is very helpful!

bookmarking for my upcoming trip!