Italian Days or First Impressions of Local Restaurant Culture in Tuscany

WORDS & PHOTOS –  Julia Latkins

IT WAS ALMOST SUNSET. We’ve been driving to the top of the hills to explore a tiny town of Artimino, as we’ve planned to have a lovely dinner with a view in one of the best local restaurants. I’ve tried to make a reservation in advance but no one ever responded to my text. Eventually, we decided to try our luck with no reservation at all.

It was around 7pm. The restaurant opens its doors to the visitors at 7.30pm precisely. The staff was already getting prepared for the new shift. I was all dressed up, wearing heels, a silk sleep dress with makeup on. Clearly, they told us that the place was fully booked way in advance, but giving up on that wasn’t on my to-do list just yet. I’ve explained the ‘ignored text situation’ and said that I was extremely upset as this was our last day here. My friend Nastya ended up smiling and begging them to let us in and it worked out! The restaurant management did their best and there we were!

What a lovely evening it was! Everything was literally impeccable: the vibe, the sunset, my mushroom ravioli, rose, our dolce, and complementary watermelon…

Oh, and undoubtedly short talks with the next table guests (the local family and a couple from Florida). If you are ever around, don’t hesitate to book a table at Da Delfina.

ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 12th, at 3 pm, to be exact, we were driving from Tuscan farm to the mountains. It was our second local farm visit, in the province of Parma this time. We made several attempts to stop by local restaurants, however, their kitchens were closed. Italians are quite strict with the lunch time openings and it’s a well-known fact. Unfortunately, as visitors, we didn’t know that. By that time we were starving and mentally preparing ourselves to get just some snacks at a gas station again. Meh!

Just for the record, the food stands at Italian gas stations are much better than American.

Luckily, later we found a tiny road cafe that was open according to Google! Boom!

The owner was a middle-eastern man in his 50s. He was having lunch inside and smiled when he saw us. We took a seat outside at the old faded red plastic table waiting for the menu to come. We were charged an extra 1€ for each course (apparently, he didn’t have a chance to renew his menu with new prices. Definitely, let’s pretend I bought that), but we didn’t care much as we got a pretty good veggie pizza and grilled veggies on the side.

IT WAS ONE OF THOSE DAYS when we had barely something planned but everything just worked perfectly and smoothly for us. We’ve been driving through the fields in the bright morning light to get ‘un caffe’. The weather was just incredible. The little town we’ve arrived at was absolutely charming. People were biking and riding their beautiful Vespas and it filled the place with an even more stunning look. I was navigating us to the Caffè Centrale located across the street from the old Castello del Duca. Everyone was having espresso, greeting each other, smiling, and discussing something loudly. It was noisy but in a very good way, like music for our ears. Most likely, it was just one of those regular mornings for locals. But it was definitely something special for us. For a moment, I had a flashback from a similar perfect morning in New Orleans while visiting Cafe Beignet on Royal Street.

THE NEXT HIGHLIGHT OF THAT DAY was our lunch at Ristorante Il Caseificio. We planned to stop by on the way home. The drive took us a little longer as we decided to have a quick stop at Castello Di Tabiano on the top of the hills. It was like a cherry on top when the owner of the gorgeous villa, a stylish and handsome Milanese, offered us an unexpected private tour. But that is a completely different story, let’s get back to the food. We wanted to have a short stop at Ristorante Il Caseificio just for the view and the castle. However, somehow we ended up sitting in the shadows of aged stone walls, chatting about the priceless beauty of Italy, and waiting for our pasta. Italy doesn’t stand rushing and appreciates simple pleasures, like leisurely conversations and good food. Impromptu decisions are the best sometimes. Initially, we had a completely different plan, but now we can definitely recommend you to taste semifreddo with red wine sauce when you’re at Ristorante Il Caseificio! This is an incredible gourmet experience.

Editor – Julia Shinkareva