Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 05 8344 0240;
www.osteriabaralla.it
; Via Anfiteatro 5; meals €30; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat)
This
traditional
osteria
dating to 1860 is in every guidebook and for good reason. Feast on loc-
al specialities beneath huge red-brick vaults; the soup with new-season olive oil, salt cod
and chickpeas is a real highlight. On Thursday it's
bolito misto
(mixed boiled meat) day,
Saturday is roast pork day.
Ristorante Giglio
MAP
TUSCAN
€€€
GOOGLE MAP
( 05 8349 4058;
www.ristorantegiglio.com
; Piazza del Giglio 2; meals €40, 2-person tasting menu €70;
lunch & dinner Thu-Mon, dinner Wed)
Don't let the tacky plastic-covered pavement terrace
on Lucca's largest pedestrian city square deter. Inside, Giglio is stunning. Dine at white
tableclothed tables, sip a complimentary glass of
prosecco,
watch the fire crackle in the
ornate marble fireplace and know you're dining in the finest restaurant in town, splendidly
at home in the frescoed 18th-century Palazzo Arnolfini no less.
Cuisine is traditional Tuscan with a modern twist, such as fresh artichoke salad served
in an edible parmesan-cheese wafer 'bowl', or risotto simmered in Chianti. End with
Lucchese
buccellato (
sweetbread) filled with ice cream and berries.
Buca di Sant'Antonio
MAP
TUSCAN
€€€
GOOGLE MAP
( 05 835 58 81;
www.bucadisantantonio.com
; Via della Cervia 3; meals €50; lunch & dinner Tue-
Sat, lunch Sun)
Gosh, what a fabulous collection of copper pots strung from the wood-
beamed ceiling! This atmosphere-laden restaurant has wooed romantic diners since 1782
and is still going strong. The Tuscan cuisine does not quite live up to the exceptional wine
list, but it remains a favourite nonetheless. Service is formal - think gents of a certain age
in black suits and dicky-bows - and opens with a glass of
prosecco
(sparkling wine) on
the house as aperitif.