Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ner in the elegant dining room. As befits a top restaurant in this region, the wine list is as
impressive as the food menu.
Rinuccio 1180
( 055 235 97 20;
www.antinorichianticlassico.it
;
Via Cassia per Siena 133, Bargino; meals €32, tasting
platters €9-12; noon-4pm)
Imagine lunching inside a glass box on a terrace with an intox-
icating 180-degree Dolby-esque surround of pea-green vines, hills and birdsong. This is
what the latest starlet of the Chianti dining scene - the restaurant at the new Antinori cel-
lar in Bargino - is about. Cuisine is Tuscan, modern, seasonal and sassy.
We love the fact that the water glasses are made from recycled wine bottles, the menu is
cork-plated and the wine list is - naturally - fabulous. Advance reservations are essential.
MODERN TUSCAN
€€
La Cantinetta di Rignana
( 055 85 26 01;
www.lacantinettadirignana.it
; meals €40; noon-3pm & 7-10pm Wed-Mon)
Idyllic-
ally nestled in the old oil mill on the Rignana estate, this eatery offers quintessential
Tuscan views from its large terrace. The food is rustic and will please most palates. It's a
15-minute drive from Badia a Passignano, between Panzano in Chianti and Mercatale Val
di Pesa, and is approached via a long unsealed road.
TUSCAN
€€
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
OUTLET SHOPPING
Follow local bargain-hunters to the Valdarno area in northeast Chianti to unleash your inner fash-
ionista (and your credit cards). Bargains from the previous season's collections can be sourced at a
number of outlets, the most popular of which are the
Mall
(
www.themall.it
;
Via Europa 8;
10am-7pm or 8pm) in Leccio Regello;
Dolce & Gabbana
( 055 833 13 00; Via Pian dell'Isola 49,
Località Santa Maria Maddalena; 10am-7pm Mon-Sat, 3-7pm Sun), off the SR69 near Incisa Val
d'Arno; and
Prada
( 055 28 34 39;
www.prada.com
; Space Factory Outlets, Via Levanella Be-
corpi, Località Levanella; 10.30am-7.30pm Mon-Fri & Sun, 9.30am-7.30pm Sat), off the SR69 on
the southern edge of Montevarchi.
L'Antica Scuderia
( 055 807 16 23;
www.ristorolanticascuderia.com
; Via di Passignano 17, Badia a Passignano; meals €44,
pizzas €7-15; 12.30-2.30pm & 7.30-10.30pm Wed-Mon)
If you fancy the idea of lunching on a
garden terrace overlooking one of the Antinori vineyards, this casual eatery may well fit
the bill. Lunch features antipasti, pastas and traditional grilled meats, while dinner sees
TUSCAN
€€
