I HAVE ONE NIGHT IN SAN GIMIGNANO IN JUNE AND I AM LOOKING FOR A PLACE FOR DINNER THAT HAS GREAT FOOD AND A LIVELY, FUN ATMOSPHERE.<BR>THANKS<BR>(I HAVE LOOKED AT A LOT OF THREADS ON THIS BUT FOUND LIMITED INFO ON AMOSPHERE)

I suggest BEL SOGGIORNO. <BR>I went there on last December and I had a very fine dinner.<BR>A wonderful wall window looks at the valley. Chef is Mr. Mirco Biagi: very clever and young.<BR>Have a nice trip.

The three we have been recommended is Dorando (first choice), La Mangiatoa and Le Terraze. I ate at La Mangiatoa a few years ago and enjoyed immensely.<BR><BR>Frances Mayes (Under the Tuscan Sun author) wrote an article several years ago for Bon Appetite that was solely devoted to Tuscany. Great if you can get your hands on it.

We met an artist in San Gim and after a lot of conversation and several purchases, we got his reccomendations for dining. We took his best recomendation and had a wonderful meal at Il Pino. The menu is classic Tuscan dishes with an emphasis on game. There was a pigeon roasted in Vernaccia and wonderful carpaccio of Cervo or deer. Also top notch was the Chingale or wild boar and the pastas were homemade and very tasty. The wine list is outstanding with many really good choices of wines from the whites of San Gim (Vernaccia) and Chianti from outstanding properties in the area. (Look for La Leccia riserva wither the 1997 or the 1999 when it is available in about a years time.<BR><BR>Dinner for 4 was just under L300,000 or $130. This included a $35 bottle of wine and a couple of grappa after the meal, as well as a full meal with antipasti or pasta, a secondo and desserts.

The Dorando is great, although expensive. We also ate at the Le Terrazza and thought the food was ok. I wouldn't bother going back. It reminded me of one of those restaurants that all the tour bus people eat at - rather big & no atmosphere. That's not a knock at "tour bus" people, but judging from the few tours I've taken all the restaurants seem kind of the same. Quite a few people had rec. Le Ter., so maybe it's just us.