Good restaurants in or close to Cortona
 

Any suggestions on good restaurants in or close to Cortona?

ttt

We stayed in Cortona for a week a few years ago and had a lovely lunch at Il Falconiere (albeit expensive, and by virtue of the nature of the establishment, i.e. a Relais et Chateaux - more &quot;international&quot; cuisine than strictly local Tuscan cuisine). A couple of other restaurant suggestions:<BR><BR>In Cortona we enjoyed &quot;Preludio&quot; (the risotto was excellent and we had the &quot;beefsteak Florentine&quot; - while we're not big steak eaters it was an interesting variation on what is a standard North American dish) and &quot;La Grotta&quot; (the &quot;Asparagus Bismarck&quot; was delicious - a deceptively simple dish of steamed asparagus with fried eggs on top) - both restaurants are right off the main square. For a day trip I would recommend &quot;La Chiusa&quot; in Montefollonico (Michelin One Star) I had the most amazing pasta with truffles, but be warned - it's expensive.<BR><BR>

Thanks for the suggestions!

Hi, I agree with Elizabeth S on everything it is not surprising that she liked the well known Il Falcolnieri and that she enjoyed the steak Florentine in Il Preludio, we enjoyed both of them, but I am delighted she also found that the simple trattoria La Grotta was a great choice.<BR>I thought too it was very good. <BR>I didn' t care much for L' Osteria del Teatro, more expensive than La Grotta and not half as good. I also liked the Il Caciatore, one floor up, near the main square. I enjoyed the restaurant of the hotel located at the entrance of Cortona, ( in Piazza Garibaldi ?),forgot its name , the antipastisimo was great..<BR>

That would be the Hotel San Luca, wouldn't it?

Hi, the restaurant I liked in Piazza Garibaldi in Cortona is TOnino.<BR>It might or might not be in a hotel.<BR>It is a very good classical Italian restaurant .<BR>I am checking in the Gambero Rosso guide book and it has one fork as Il Falconiere being less expensive than this one. The atmosphere in Il Falconiere is more quaint, I like it better for lunch. than for dinner.<BR>For hotels in Cortona I always stayed and liked very much St Michele in via Guelfa. Have a great time.

Another vote for La Grotta.<BR>