Restaurants not to miss in Tuscany & Umbria
 

We have been planning our trip for almost a year now down to the final countdown, only four weeks to go! This site has been so valuable along the way to help us locate apartment rentals in both Tuscany and Umbria and many ideas of places to visit and insights into the towns we are staying in.

Now to the most important part of the trip - taking note of what restaurants not to miss!

On our last trip to Tuscany two years ago, we thoroughly enjoyed eating at Trattoria's and never even made it to expensive restaurants, so this is the approach we would like to take this time as well. Home cooking Tuscan and Umbrian style!

We will be staying in Orvieto, Montepulciano, Spello and Spoleto with day trips to: Pienza, Montalcino,Assisi, Norcia and possibily Montefalco or Trevi.

Any recommendations on which restaurants not to miss?

Thanks very much!

Spello: La Cantina.... scrumptious, must reserve

Pienza: Latte de Luna.... great but you have to have reservations, even for lunch

Montalcino: Grappolo Blu... pretty good

None of these places are above moderately priced.

I have some favorites. You can look at my list on my web site and read my "reviews." http://www.luvtotravel.homestead.com/italyrest.html

Have a fabulous trip!

Monica ((F))

Thanks for the suggestions.

Hi Monica - we are staying in the Politian Apartments for a week and I really loved your trip report! Can't wait to get there as it sounds like you really liked the apartment and the town!
If you have any other tips or information, I would really appreciate hearing from you!
Ciao!

Montepulciano: Il Cittino, Trattoria Diva e Maceo, Cafe Poliziano

Spello: Il Trombone

My husband and I rented one of the Politian Apartments this past April. The apartment was lovely and the views were postcard perfect. One word of advice though - pack light. There are lots of steps up, then down to the garden and then up a narrow back stair. I thought my husband was going to give up and demand we go somewhere else (I don't pack light) until he saw the beautiful apartment.

Our favorite restaurants in Montepulciano are Acquacheta and La Grotta, near the church San Biagio.

Not far from Montepulciano, in the tiny hilltop village of Castiglioncello del Trinoro, is the wonderful restaurant La Rosa del Trinoro. The views from the terrace are spectacular and the food is divine.

In Spello, we like to do tastings at the Enoteca Properzio. The owners are very generous with the wine, olive oil, cheeses and other regional specialties, making for a nice lunch.

And in Spello there is the most delicious gelato. The little shop is located near one of the gates and the name escapes me now. We think it is fantastic and equal to ( if not better than) the famous gelateria in Rome.

For the Tuscany portion of your trip, I would suggest taking a look at the website www.tuscanhouse.com. Tuscan House is a rental agency and I always go to Tuscany with a print out of their favorite places. I have never been disappointed by any of their suggestions.

Alajan, we were in Apt 2 also, and I had the distinct pleasure of carrying my wife's "kitchen sink" up and down all those stairs. ((a)) ((b))

In the main piazza/square of Montefalco, find the restaurant that serves the local Umbrian pasta with a sauce made from saffron cheese. Yum!

Hi Alajan -- we loved our stay at Le Case Gialle at the end of May; thanks again for all your fabulous suggestions.
annabelle

Thanks everyone - some great recommendations - can't wait to get there to try these restaurants! And, looking forward to that Gelataria in Spello - I'm sure that it will quickly become a daily habit along with the wine tasting - cheers!

You are very welcome Annabelle. We usually travel to Italy every October but visited this year in April. I have fond memories but truly wish I could return this fall.

Le Case Gialle and especially the owners are so special - so glad you had a great visit.

We usually order Mauro's new oil in early November - it's almost that time again.

Italia2005, I think the gelato shop in Spello is at Porta Consolare.

Also, if you have time try to visit Bevagna. It is a lovely town and you will appreciate it for being flat, especially after climbing the streets in Montepulciano, Assisi and Spello. In Bevagna, we love the restaurant Podesta.

Wish I could go again. I enjoy the Umbrian food and the Sagrantino wine best during the autumn.

And Budman, I will be sure to tell my husband that we shared the same experience at Politian 2 - a little "pain" quickly forgotten when you throw open the shutters!

Hi - I posted information about a delicious lunch in Orvieto in this thread. There are some other recommendations in it also.

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34620312

This is the first time I included a URL so I hope it works! Have fun!

I Sette Consoli in Orvieto!

You can read my Tuscany journal, which may give you some suggestions for your trip. http://www.luvtotravel.homestead.com/home.html. Click on journals, then Tuscany May 2004.

Monica ((F))

Oh, yes, I agree, osteria Podesta in Bevagna is fun and good. Avoid the over-salted lamb, though.

Great pasta and pastry shops in this very nice little walled town as well...

I haven't read all through so sorry if I'm repeating.

In Montepulciano, Acquacheta for lunch or dinner and Cafe Poliziano for breakfast and lunch -- if the weather's nice try to sit out on one of the little balconies and you'll be 'floating' over Tuscany.

In Montalcino (actually about 5 km outside it), Poggio Antico -- very pretty, very classy, formal but warm service, delicious sophisticated food and VERY pricey.

We liked Ai Quattro Venti in Montepulciano (on the main plaza) - ate there twice. If you decide to venture further north, we really enjoyed our dinner at Osteria di Fonterutoli, a restaurant on a wine estate a couple of miles south of Castellina. Their wine was spectacular.

We stayed at Politian as well, in apartment #1- absolutely beautiful! It was a perfect place (and town) to spend our honeymoon.

We loved Acquacheta. We ate there for both lunch and dinner during our trip, and probably could gone more! We had breakfast at Caffe Poliziano every day as well. If you eat at the bar (they have stools) the deal can't be beat. It's about $3.00 for coffee and pastry for two.

Have a wonderful time!

Great recommendations - it sounds like we won't have to worry about where to go for good food! Alajan - thanks very much for mentioning the Tuscan House website - full of good reviews including address and phone numbers - very helpful!

Does anyone have a recommendation for Assisi or Spoleto - I don't see too many reviews posted on Slow Travel for these towns.

Really looking forward to staying at the Politian Apartments and enjoying Montepulciano and surrounding villages on a slow pace! In Umbria we may rethink our itinerary to be sure to have lunch in Bevagna - it sounds lovely.

Ciao and thanks again!

Restaurant suggestions for Assisi:

La Fortezza
La Stalla
Trattoria Pallotta

Again, you can read about these restaurants on my web site. We enjoyed our meals very much!

Monica ((F))

You can also take a look at my review of Politian apartments, which may help with some additional suggestions in the area:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34648293

Have a wonderful trip!

Thanks Monica and Tarheels!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading both of your reviews of the Politian Apartments and Montepulciano. Monica your website is so great - lots of excellent restaurant/travel recommendations & great photos that really got me excited today about Tuscany! And, so many interesting recipes as well!

Tarheels - we are also going to try staying in Montepulciano without a car and take a bus to Pienza one day and to Montalcino - if we get really ambitious, maybe Cortona another day, but it sounds like a long day by bus and back. Taking a wine tasting tour also sounds fun. I read somewhere that you can sign up at the tourist office and they pick you up and drive to you a local vineyard for a tour and tasting.

Does anyone have more information on these tours that you could share?

And, weather permitting, since we will be there in late October, we would love to take the hike from either Montepulciano to Pienza or at least make it by foot to Montechiello for lunch and walk back.

Ciao!

You mention Montalcino -- about 30 minutes (or less, maybe) drive from there is the lovely abbey of Sant' Antimo, where you can listen to the monks' Gregorian chants several times a day. We picnicked on the lawn before we went in to listen to the monks -- a very wonderful place.

Italia2005 - lucky you!

I clicked on this site to recommend the restaurant in the piazza at Montefalco that annabelle2 recommends!! The pasta IS delicious! I had one made with local truffles in the sauce - to die for!!

It is a relatively new restaurant I believe, and they were extremely generous and helpful with suggestions (despite the language difficulty).

Montefalco is definitely worth a visit. The linen shops are worth a visit as well.



Have a wonderful trip!

Does anyone have any idea what the name of the terrific restaurant in Montefalco is? I've read good things about L'Alchemista, but I thought it was more of a wine bar. Thanks.

In Spoleto we liked La Toretta and Il Tempio del Gustio. Very good! Get some type of pasta "Spoletino". A little on the spicy side but very good.

In Assisi we liked La Podesta. Get the gnocchi with sagrantina wine sauce. It is a specialty.

You can't go wrong eating in Umbria.....It is the BEST food we have ever had!!

Hi Italia 2005,

I just got back. I have an excellent recommendation for you for Assisi. Just outside the city walls, and you will need a car or taxi, but it's not that far -- Paridiso Le Terme.

Spello - I was a little disappointed in La Cantina. I liked Il Mulino much better.

Montalcino -- Grappolo Blu - the very best food of a 3 week trip. I ate there the first night and didn't bother to go elsewhere. 3 nights of dining and Brunello and I loved everything I tried!

Buon viaggio!

Re: Montefalco restaurant
I think it is l'Alchimista. It is kind of a wine bar but they serve food as well. We walked in to taste wine, sampled some of the saffron cheese, and then decided to eat lunch outside. Good decision! We bought some cheese and tried to re-create the pasta back at our agriturismo later in the week. Not as good as their version, but not bad.

Thanks, Annabelle, I thought it might the wine bar but wasn't sure. I appreciate the confirmation.

If you go to Montalcino, I would also recommend the Abbey. There is a bus from Montalcino that goes there and back. This was one trip that we were planning to take but didn't quite make it- next time, for certain!

Annabell - thanks for tracking down the name of the restaurant in Montefalo - we will make sure to visit! I've made notes of all of these restaurants and thank everyone for taking time to respond with your favorites!

Now, the problem - not enough time to enjoy them all. I'm already planning the next trip back!

Ciao!

Italia2005, I look forward to hearing about your trip! Have a great time. Glad you enjoyed my web site ;)

Monica ((F))