As I mentioned in a previous post, I definitely enjoy the food scene whenever I am in Italy. What I typically do is order the same thing from multiple different restaurants, as I find it enjoyable to see the little variations a common concept can have. Whether it's eggs with truffles, or tripe, every establishment more or less has its own way of preparing it.
This post will cover the second week of my culinary experience, as I dined in Lucca and Florence.
It was a Saturday when I arrived in Lucca after taking the train from Siena. And as I had some trouble with my accommodation and I had to quickly find another one after learning that my booked hotel didn't exist anymore, it wasn't until late afternoon that I finally found some lunch. I stumbled upon Da Ciacco, a restaurant facing Lucca's Piazza Napoleone, and it turns out I was just in time before they closed for a pause between lunch and dinner. I was so hungry so I ordered an antipasti platter, containing a few things of everything. I finished them all, washing it down with some red wine. Very tasty.
The next day I spent the day entirely in Lucca. And for lunch, I stepped inside
Osteria del Neni, a small establishment hidden in a small alley behind large buildings. It is operating since 1943, and they had a very good rendition of eggs and truffle. I also ordered some tortelli with radicchio and walnuts. That was a very good lunch.
That evening, I headed to
Rusticanella 2 da Luca, a restaurant that had its entire menu written on brown pieces of paper. The staff was rather aggressive in recommending you to go with large orders (no, I was alone and so I won't go for the Florentine steak), but I was insistent and ordered what I wanted. I took the grilled pears with truffle as a starter, and I followed that with the tripe. I loved the tripe especially, as they made it just the way it was supposed to be.
The day after, I did a day trip to Castelnuovo di Garfagnana. I failed in finding a good place to eat there, so I only had a small late lunch (or snack if you will) in Lucca. It's not a good idea to get food outside of typical lunch or dinner times, as the quality wouldn't be the best. I found a not-so-stunning place right at Lucca's Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, the Bollicina Lucca, where I ordered a parmigiana di melanzane. Nothing special.
I made it up that evening, however, as I booked myself a table in the
Osteria dal Manzo. I started with their version of a steak tartare - the thinly-slice chips were well-matched. Then I had a tuna steak as a main dish, and I finished the evening with a caramel chocolate cake. That meal was definitely spectacular.
The next day was a Tuesday, and it was my last full day in Lucca. I used that to do a day trip to Pietrasanta, and I stumbled upon the
Fishing Lab, a seafood restaurant. Pietrasanta is close to the sea, so it was just appropriate to have some seafood for lunch. They have dishes that are offered in small and not-so-small sizes, so I opted to take three small dishes as a sampler for my lunch. I had a seafood lampredotto, some squid on toast, and a risotto with mussels. Paired with good white wine, I was ready to roll. That was fabulous, and absolutely recommendable.
For my final evening in Lucca, I had a table in the
Osteria Nova. This place was fantastic. They gave me a small preview of the kitchen in the form of a small soup and a small cocktail. After that, I had some fried calf brain, and I followed that with a pigeon as a main course. I also opted for dessert, so I took some homemade pistachio ice cream. That was a great way to end my visit in Lucca.
On Wednesday, I left Lucca and headed for Florence, which was my final stop in this trip. I immediately found my hotel as I exited the train station, and fortunaely my room was already available. After dropping off my bags, I ventured out, and for a quick lunch, I just had a small antipasti platter from La Sosta de' Golosi, an informal cafe I found in the centre. But I must say, the food was not bad at all. And the cocktail was also quite potent.
That evening, I opted to go to
Osteria Antica Mescita San Niccolo. I actually have been to this place back in 2014, and I remembered having a memorable meal. However, it turns out that in the meantime, the management has changed, and so the quality wasn't as I remembered it. I had some crostini platter, I had osso buco, and I also had dessert, but I wasn't too impressed.
The day after, I opted to do something different and went to a pizza restaurant, the
Fuoco Matto. Oh man, this cachiocavallo pizza was awesome! Tuscany isn't really pizza territory, but these folks from somewhere else in Italy are doing great business here. I definitely enjoyed this lunch.
That evening, I headed to the
Trattoria I Fratellini. I had some fried tripe, as well as gnudo (ricotta gnocchi), and I followed that with a very typical Tuscan grape cake that apparently only appears during autumn, the schiacciata all’uva. Simple dishes, but very tasty nonetheless.
The next day, I headed south of the Arno for lunch, as I visited the
Bistro a Modo Mio. I liked this place. They offer their dishes in small and large sizes, so I ordered three small dishes to make one fantastic lunch. I took the octopus, a homemade pasta with ragu, and some pan-seared tuna. Very delicious!
And that evening, I headed to somewhere slightly more traditional, I went to the
Ristorante il Paiolo. I started with the burrata with truffle. That was exquisite. Then I had the osso buco, and it was fantastic. Finally, for dessert, I had some biscotti with Vin Santo. It was a very traditional and well-executed dinner I must say.
On my last full day in Florence, I went to the
Le Volte Firenze. I opted for the Tuscan crostini made with liver, which is always a favourite of mine. I followed that with the spaghetti carbonara, and I must say they had a very spectacular rendition of it. It's definitely not how I see spaghetti carbonara in other Italian restaurants I have been to before. This was absolutely a fantastic lunch.
And on my final dinner, I was in the
Osteria del Bricco, a rather traditional spot. I had a relatively simple broccoli tart, and I opted for the tripe one last time. Finally, there was the simple yet elegant custard pudding.
This ends my travelogue about my two-week Tuscan visit. It had a few hiccups in the beginning, but oh boy, the food definitely did not disappoint. Stay tuned for a new series coming soon!
