The Busiest Hidden Restaurant in Tuscany

Last weekend we took an overnight trip to Piancastagnaio, to eat at one of our favorite restaurants in the world, Ristorante Anna. We have driven here straight from the airport many times over the years, just to eat their signature (always on the menu) chestnut porcini soup. It is pictured below….it doesn’t look like much, but it is so delicious, trust me, there is nothing you would not do to demean yourself to get a bowl. Luckily all you have to do is pay! And they serve it from a big copper tureen, so you can always ask for seconds.

This restaurant is at the end of a modern commercial strip, in a residential area; zero pretentiousness, all quality. Every time we are here it is packed with locals, never tourists. Last Saturday night it was full of families with babies. That would normally not be a big selling point for us, but the whole family feel the place has is just so endearing. “Family dining” sounds suspiciously like it might be a Chuck E Cheese without the ball pit, but Anna is a place that local families go to eat, to eat traditional dishes, even though they can make them at home. Anna just does them better.

The family who owns the joint loves jazz, so there is a mural on the back wall of the matriarch of the family, enjoying a glass of wine while she listens to Miles Davis and BB King, with Piancastagnaio in the background.

On Saturday we had their signature soup, peposo (peppery beef stew) with pureed potatoes, a braised artichoke, and baby pork with crispy skin slow cooked with pears. Then we had their crema catalana, which is delivered to the table while in flame.

Pro tip: after the flame goes out, the sugar top is crackly and deliciously crunchy. Distract your dining partner and strip-mine the top when they are not looking.

You can find this restaurant and many other exquisite places to eat in our small town foodie guide to Tuscany.