Osteria Le Panzanelle, a country trattoria with traditional recipes
Among the rural destinations most appreciated by international visitors, the Tuscan countryside ranks high. Among the best known landscapes of this rural geography are the hills of Chianti, Siena and Florence.
And quite by accident (that’s another story for another time!) I found this little roadside gem – L’Osteria le Panzanelle in Lucarelli – around 5km south of Panzano on the road that leads from Panzano to Radda. It might not be surrounded by hectares of owned land, but it has all the credentials to create memorable dining experience in the countryside.
An ideal lunch stop, in the summer you can sit in the beautiful garden (or the equally pleasant and bustling downstairs bar-dining room) and gorge on traditional Tuscan dishes.
This is a wonderful trattoria, and almost every night people queue up, waiting for the doors to open. But be warned, you must book if you want to dine here of an evening. Turning up without a reservation and expecting to be able to sidle up to one of its tables will leave you disappointed… and hungry.
By chance I was sitting next to the owner of one of the local wineries and he told us that this was his favourite place to dine but even making a dinner reservation was nigh on impossible as the locals tend to all go there… say no more!
Tuscan food at its simplest, but tastiest
In addition to good wine, there is no lack of good food on the menu. Think traditional Tuscan recipes with more than generous portions: liver crostini and cold cuts, pappardelle with wild boar, pappa al pomodoro, gnudi; mixed fried chicken and rabbit, Florentine steak, wild boar with olives.
I had lamb chops to start followed by the wild boar pappardelle. The lamb was delicious if a little over-cooked for my liking (but I didn’t think to ask the waiter when ordering how they would be served). The pasta was exceptional and honestly one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever had (and about which Mrs HB never hears the end of!): pasta cooked to ‘al dente’ perfection, and a wild boar ragu that was rich, glossy and full of flavour. Yum.
If you’ve got room for more after all that, try one of their homemade desserts (think ice cream with vin santo and pannacotta with chestnuts), which vary daily. Is you mouth watering yet??
A visit you won’t forget quickly
If this place is accessible to you at any point in your life, I would highly recommend visiting Osteria Le Panzanelle – it’s a place you won’t forget in a hurry, for all the right reasons.
Granted, you do need a car to get here it’s not really possible to walk. There are a few local places to stay but I fear you would still need to drive as taxis aren’t readily available in this area. If this place was in a major town or city it would be the star of the show but then again it would lose its charm.
This whole area is stunning too. Go for a stroll in Radda in Chianti or drive through the surrounding area and experience the stunning Tuscan hills littered with vineyards producing some exceptional wines. Ciao!
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