When we need a meal while off the beaten path in Italy we ask the locals where to eat and have never been disappointed. While I enjoy a good meal just like the next person I do not consider myself a foodie, but these restaurants managed to engrave themselves onto the side of my brain saved for happy memories. The places I’m listing here are not easy to get to, and probably not exactly where you’re going, but, if you’re anywhere near the neighborhood, are worth the travel time. ( Please check the hours and closing days before traveling a great distance.)
Al Castello, Vernazza (Cinque Terre) A view to die for (actually, you may die on your hike up the hill to get here), and a pesto lasagna that I’ve tried to replicate many times. I’ve been to Cinque Terre three times now, returning each time for this very lasagna. (The stunning ocean views are nice too.) On my second trip I asked how the pasta was made and was surprised that the Signora who makes it every day shared the “recipe” with me: 12 layers of hand-rolled pasta with a bechamel-pesto sauce (more bechamel than pesto) between every layer. Pesto originates from Liguria, where we find the Cinque Terre, and they make it here with both Parmiggiano-Reggiano and Pecorino cheeses with the basil, pine nuts and olive oil that they chop in a food processor. I’ve tried to make it many times, and it’s never as good, big surprise. (That old lady probably left out an ingredient on purpose.) I wish I could tell you how the rest of the food is here, but I’ve never made it past the lasagna. It’s that good.
Trattoria La Fiasca, Sirmione Firstly, Sirmione is a beautiful town on Lake Garda in the north of Italy, just west of Verona. Entering the borgo of Sirmione on the wooden footbridge, you are instantly transported into medieval times, surrounded by the stone fortifications of the Rocca Scaligera Castle. Shops and gelaterie have taken the place of the workshops and huts of those serving the Lombard King, but the structures have remained the same, and the streets that take you through the tiny peninsula have changed very little.
But enough about beautiful Sirmione. I visited Trattoria La Fiasca long, long ago on a very stormy night, and we had driven in from Verona. It was cold, so we ordered grill pork chops which were lightly dressed in olive oil, and were delicious enough on their own, but the thing that I can’t get out of my head was the bruschetta (please say “bru-skett-a” and not “bru-chett-a”) that was simply bread toasted on the grill and DRIZZLED WITH THE PAN DRIPPINGS FROM THE PORK CHOPS. I won’t insult anyone with further elaboration; if you don’t get it, I’m not interested in converting you. Just know that I, (not a foodie, may I remind you) returned to Sirmione on two other occasions but was unable to revisit my food nirvana because I didn’t have reservations, and yes, I did beg.
Ristorante Le Capannine, Barberino di Mugello (near Florence) We found this little jewel on a car trip from Florence to Rome by way of recommendation from a truck driver. Never judge a book by its cover, and I refer to the truck driver who we Americans in the car would not have approached – fortunately, we had an Italian in the car who knew better. The restaurant is right off the Autostrada A1, in a rustic stone house (capannina is the Italian word for hut). Upon entering, you are warmly welcomed by dried sausages and prosciutti hanging from the ceiling, and not so warmly welcomed by a burly man positioned behind a wood-fired grill. After one whiff we unanimously voted to stay. Our meal consisted of ribollita (vegetable soup cooked with bread), a cold-cut platter with various dried sausages, prosciutto, mortadella, and cheeses, and a huge platter of grilled meats: pork chops, bistecca alla Fiorentina, and sausages. Our bill was considerably lower than what we paid to eat in Florence and Venice, and the owner and employees were friendly and spoke English (the man at the grill didn’t have to be friendly – he was a magician.) I can’t wait to go back and clean my plate with that wonderful bread.
Getting There:
Ristorante Al Castello: When you arrive in Vernazza, walk down to the marina and follow the signs for the restaurant up the narrow stairs on your left all the way to the top. And order the lasagna!
