Looking for a good inexpensive restaurant around Castellina de Chianti or Rhadda.

Ginger: I am researching too for my<BR>trip in October. You might want to<BR>buy this book by Carla Capalbo,The<BR>Food and Wine Lover's Companion Tuscany.<BR>Also there is a website for a Florence<BR>based cooking school, Divina Cucina, and<BR>the owner has posted her recommendations<BR>for the Chianti region.

Dear Ginger,<BR>My husband and I ate twice at Osteria La Piazza in the little town of La Piazza, a small town off the S222 about 10kms north of Castellina. We enjoyed it so much one night, that we went again on our last night in Castellina and were not disappointed; we loved it and found the people very welcoming.<BR><BR>Another restaurant that had excellent food was Il Vescovino; in fact, it was probably a little too fussy for us. The food was terrific, but it was one of the places that we found an arrogance in the service and were treated less well than an Italian couple who ate a lot more and drank a lot more than we did. But I'd give it a second chance, since we were there in the middle of July (high tourist season) and the food really was good.<BR><BR>On the other hand, we'd gotten several recommendations for La Torre in Castellina, and thought the food there very poor. I wouldn't recommend it.<BR>

If you are a meat eater, than you may consider to move a bit off Chianti and visit the restaurant that Corpo Forestale have near Radicondoli. From Colle Val d'Elsa, move towards Belforte (near Radicondoli) and you will find signs direction you toward it. Corpo Forestale is trying to save an ancient race of cown called Chianina, wich fives some of the best meat you wil ever find worldwide.

We found a casual trattoria in Radda called da Michelle that had great food, and was quite inexpensive. It seemed like a local place, not many tourisits. It was downtown, the entrance was in a large gravel parking lot.

While traveling the 222 road out of Florence into Chianti country, we had the advice of a friend to stop at Ristorante da Padellina in Strada in Chianti. This is a simple, small, inexpensive place - and our meal there will remain as one of our most memorable ever.<BR><BR>I just took a chance on the web to see if I could find it on-line and found this wonderful website with da Padellina on it, in addition to a full list of restaurants by village all along the "La<BR> Strada del Vino". <BR>http://www.divinacucina.com/code/stradachianti.html<BR><BR>We actually got to meet Alvaro at da Padelina, and he poured grappa for all of us and drank with us. I didn't understand 2 words in 20 - but it had to be the most memorable and fun restaurant experience of our life. I think the three of us had lunch, with birra and grappa, for under $25 american.

Here's a site that has quite a few reviews of restaurants in that area:<BR>http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/restaurant_list/chianti.htm<BR><BR>