The three restaurants I'm most excited for in Italy
We are just over a month away from our honeymoon, and here are the spots I'm looking forward to the most.
We opted to plan every detail of our honeymoon ourselves. Since we’re galavanting from Rome to Florence to Bologna to San Gimignano to Chianti to Montepulciano to Cortona… it has been a huge undertaking and I completely understand why people hire travel agents.
Of course we’ll be hitting museums and seeing the sites, but the main attraction will be the food. At this point, I’ve basically planned a food crawl through central Italy. Here are the three places I’m most excited for!
Bologna: All'Osteria Bottega
We debated on if we could really fit the Fat City into our travels, but ultimately decided it would be worth it to go for even just a day trip while we’re staying in Florence (it’s only a 30 minute train ride away!). As a couple whose entire existence revolves around food, it felt like a shame to skip it, even if it was slightly out of the way.
I have traveled around Italy before but have never made it to the Emilia-Romagna region and cannot wait to eat at this restaurant. I need to do a separate post about how I find restaurants when traveling (hint: it’s not on TripAdvisor), but I found this restaurant through Ruth Reichl, the former and final Editor in Chief at Gourmet Magazine.
I was enamored with pictures of thinly sliced Mortadella and perfect pockets of ravioli mixed with their quaint, neighborhood atmosphere. Despite the restaurant not even having a website, I was able to request a table by emailing them off of a link on their Facebook page. This strikes me as the perfect hole-in-the-wall and I have a feeling we’ll be one of very few Americans at any of the tables.
Chianti: Desinaire
I found this restaurant in such a convoluted way, which makes me feel like it might end up the best meal of our trip. I was researching wineries and found the smallest maker of classic Chianti, as frazione of Greve, via Conde Nast, one of my favorite sites to find special places when traveling.
Once we had the winery tasting locked in, I searched for a lunch spot by zooming in and out incessantly on Google Maps and then stumbled upon Desinaire, a very small restaurant located within the historic walls of Montefioralle. I was immediately taken by the breathtaking alfresco views, piles of meats and many spectacular Google reviews, but one really stood out:
the place is family run and has just a few tables facing the hills of Chianti. there is no menu, the owners will just bring you local delicacies. the service is a bit slow but frankly, given the amazing view, it's more of a feature. just relax, grab a "fiaschetta" of local wine and enjoy nature.
If that doesn’t describe EXACTLY what we were looking for while traveling through Tuscany, I don’t know what does.
Florence: Rasputin Secret Bar
I had the hardest time choosing the third restaurant for this list because we have SO many amazing meals to look forward to, but one thing I have yet to talk about are the bars and cafes. We have our mornings, lunches and dinners planned, but we have anywhere from 4-7 hours in the afternoon & evening to explore bars and cafes or opt for a siesta. Spending hours people watching at a corner cafe, sipping an espresso followed by an Aperol Spritz is my favorite way to travel Europe.
We are really getting out of our comfort zone when it comes to timing on this trip. We are early birds and always home by 7pm after happy hour, dinner and and nightcap. When in Rome, though! We have some 9pm reservations and I can’t wait for the cocktail bars we are planning to hit before and after dinner.
This ‘secret bar’ is completely hidden and I’m actually nervous about whether we’ll be able to find it. Allegedly, it is tucked into a hidden, unmarked Cathedral door where you ring a secret doorbell to be let in. It looks dark and sexy and the perfect spot to sip a Negroni after a day of walking around the City of Lillies.