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Il Focolare

3.7 (3 reviews)
Closed 6:30 pm - 10:00 PM

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Bottega Torciano - My incredible sommelier

Bottega Torciano

5.0(2 reviews)
19.1 km

Wine tasting while the kids make fresh pasta? In Tuscany?!! Ummmm, yes please!! This place was a…read moredream! An absolute dream! I didn't book a cooking class in advance because I had no idea on our last trip just when we would be in Tuscany, but I knew I HAD to get my kids one! Wasn't leaving without one. Luckily, I came across this place who snuck me in a private class for the same day, at the time of MY choosing! Amazing! (Especially in prime time tourist season!) Communication was a tad iffy at first, but the owner himself called me and spoke English well enough to explain everything to me....the €50 per person price and they even send me the coordinates to this, one of a few locations of Torciano on Whats App. We were greeted so warmly by all upon arrival. The kids were told to wash up and then they were suiting in aprons. They were regular sized but the staff folded them just so to fit. I was immediately handed a glass of rose' and thought to myself "yaaaaaaassss". The kiddos were brought back to a professional kitchen with a chef who spoke pretty fair English. She had the kiddos mixing the flour for their own dough for pasta, chopping herbs and peppers with huge knife that honestly had me a tad nervous, but I trusted her. They boiled and peeled tomatoes for their sauce and rolled out their dough. They cut it by hand and not in a pasta making machine, which I personally loved! I actually loved the in consist shape and size of their noodles! It gave the dish such a rustic organic feel. I was such a proud mama!!! They mixed cheeses and plated their tri pepper crostini and their bruschetta. Not without a taste first. They also mixed sugar with marscapone for their tiramisu! It was a different type of tiramisu than I've seen. It was simply placed in a bowl. No fancy layers, just uber thick, creamy cheese with a powdered cocoa top. Since the kids are vegetarians they nixed making the white wine pork chop dish, which is usually included in this class. The chef did however still show us how to make it from afar and replaced that entree with a hearty omelette instead when it can time to chow down. All the while I was given a sample of the most incredible balsamic I have EVER tasted as well as many different wines. This was even before my proper tasting! They made me feel like royalty! We were soon seated at a lovely table where my tasting official began with a super informative, friendly sommelier!! I didn't try a wine I didn't like! I wound up purchasing the rose' and the prosecco, which is usually too sweet for me. This was actually on the drier more subdue (in a good way) side! I also bought an incredible cab sauv/Merlot Tuscan blend and their Vernaccia, a delicious crisp white. I was actually gifted a bottle of their All You Need Is Love, which retails at €120! It was fascinating to not only learn the process for making each specific variety, but also to hear which regions in Italy each grape grows and the reasons for the locations such a temperature etc. They also served us the 4 course meal the kiddos made! Everything was outstanding and that pasta I'm still dreaming about. Thick tagliatelle cooked perfectly al dente. It was UNREAL!! Our super kind waiter suggested I tried some pepporcini oil to drizzle atop the simple pomodoro covered pasta. It made the dish even more delicious, if you can imagine! It was the perfect amount of heat and flare. I bought a bottle of this to take home also. He said it was fantastic just drizzled over grilled veggies. It is!! I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone!! I appreciated them treated my nature 7 &9 year olds like adults in the kitchen. The class wasn't "dulled" down for them and they learned a ton. Since we've been home they've had a desire to help in the kitchen even that much more than they did before. They know how to properly chop veggies and use real knives. We plan on hosting a big family dinner making exactly this menu and popping open a bottle or two of their incredible wine. Overall such a wonderful experience for both my children and myself! Come VERY hungry and make sure to leave some room in your luggage for all the wine and oils you'll want to purchase. (I actually ditched most of my large toiletries and my hair dryer in exchange for these wines ((covers eyes)).) They do ship charging only a flat rate but you must buy a case of each type of wine, at a 30% discount though! Once I enjoy MOST of these bottles, I'm certainly placing a international order! It all just fantastic!

From the owner: Vieni a gustare la cucina toscana a Bottega Torciano! Bottega Torciano si trova a Poggibonsi, a…read morepochi minuti da San Gimignano dove gustare ottima carne alla griglia, pasta fresca fatta da noi e i vini della nostra azienda. Fatevi coccolare dai nostri antipasti, con i migliori salumi e formaggi toscani. I primi piatti comprendono pasta al ragù tradizionale o di cinghiale, la classica ribollita e la pappa al pomodoro. Oltre al menù stagionale, fatevi consigliare i piatti del giorno dal personale di sala! Durante le stagioni del tartufo, potrete gustare ad esempio piatti a base del tartufo che raccogliamo nella nostra Tenuta. Potete scegliere se accompagnare il vostro pranzo o la vostra cena con un bicchiere di vino o con una bottiglia ad esempio di Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico o Vernaccia di San Gimignano, tutti di nostra produzione, che potrete anche acquistare al ristorante. Infine potrete deliziarvi con uno dei nostri dolci, sempre fatti da noi. Vi aspettiamo a Bottega Torciano!

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Bottega Torciano - Beautiful space. Given drinks and aprons upon entering.

Beautiful space. Given drinks and aprons upon entering.

Bottega Torciano
Bottega Torciano

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Antico Borgo

Antico Borgo

4.7(3 reviews)
2.3 km
€€€

Great view, pretty good service, but it burns out at the end…read more We ate here twice, once for lunch and once for dinner, during a weeklong trip to a nearby villa. I'd wholeheartedly recommend coming here for two reasons: there's a great view and there are few other options! Also, the food is quite good but the whole "no pizza" thing was disheartening. We didn't ask but I assume the pizza oven was broken and badly so as it seemed to be a long-term issue. Of note: the steak was amazing, the carpaccio a bit on the thick side, the truffle pasta very good, and the porcini mushroom pasta surprisingly kind of meh. Dessert-wise the creme catalana and the chocolate lava cake were very good. Not their issue, per se, but the place was over-run with noisy children (and not just a little but edge of wow-that's-insane noisy) for the 7pm sit-down. I'd try to arrive around 8 or 830 (beware they close kind of early) to get there while it's open, but miss the early-dinner child run. Only issue was the service, which starts out strong, tends to burn out through the evening. We, and several others, had to basically leave to get the check. Plus they forgot two drinks but didn't forget to charge us for them. So make reservations, come, enjoy the food and view, and expect it to take a while to complete, and check the bill.

From the owner: Fiorentina, Tartufo,Funghi, Cacciagioneread more

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Antico Borgo - Vista delle colline dalla veranda rilassante e ventilata.

Vista delle colline dalla veranda rilassante e ventilata.

Antico Borgo

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Trattoria da Bado

Trattoria da Bado

4.9(7 reviews)
14.4 km
€€€

We were kicking around Volterra in No Man's Land: the time of day when nearly every restaurant is…read moreclosed. The hunger grew beyond measure. We needed food and I had heard great things about da Bado. Finding it is a bit tricky. It's not within the walls of the city. As you're leaving Volterra, look for the hospital signs. Da Bado is on your left, just past the turn for the hospital. (The intersection of Borgo San Lazzero and Via Luigi Scabia.) We were the first to arrive at the restaurant. By the time we left, every table was packed with someone speaking Italian. When you're the only English speakers in a restaurant, you've picked a winner. Since we hadn't really eaten all day, I ordered the bistecca alla fiorentina. The waiter warned me it was massive, but I explained that I was ravenous and I was an overweight American. I could handle whatever steak he threw at me. When the steak arrived, it was quite good. I added some salt and pepper to boost the taste, but I enjoyed it. The real winner was the potatoes. They had a perfectly thin, crispy outer layer and soft, pillowy, potatoey goodness on the inside. You must get them. Our server was kind. The wine was amazing. The atmosphere was great. And, again, you can't underestimate how authentic the food is when you're surrounded by a hundred people speaking only Italian to one another. Bravo, da Bado! And as a bonus tip, you may be wondering how the bathroom sink works. Like some public restrooms in Italy, the controls are on the floor. Step on the pedal to get the water flowing.

This was the best meal we had on our vacation. The restaurant is a few minutes walk outside the…read morecity walls but so worth it. We started with the assortment of sheeps cheeses which was out of this world. Then we had a bunch of dishes to share: garden vegetable pasta (highly addictive), the steak, cod in tomato sauce and mushroom risotto. To finish we tried three of their dessert specialties: chocolate torte, semifreddo and a hot custard sort of thing. Everything was 10/10. The waiter was incredibly friendly and attentive. I am celiac and he made sure I could eat everything, even the desserts. And he made me a special pasta dish with gluten free pasta. He even brought out gluten free crackers so I could eat while my family had the bread before the meal. You should DEFINITELY eat here!

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Trattoria da Bado
Trattoria da Bado
Trattoria da Bado

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Ristorante Peruca - Wild boar ragu

Ristorante Peruca

4.4(54 reviews)
13.1 km
€€€

Food was delicious! Wine recommendation from the waiter was excellent! Ambiance was typical…read morefamiliar run Italian restaurant and just love that! Would definitely go back and might before we leave San G!

We came here onto mother-in-laws recommendation. She said they had the best gnocchi she has ever…read morehad. This being my wife's favorite, decided to make a special trip to San Gimignano just to try them out! We made reservations and I am glad we did because by 8pm, every table was full. The place is very small and dark, but they add a small LED light at each table giving just the right amount of light to read the menu. We reviewed the menu only to find that they no longer have gnocchi. She was disappointed at first, but absolutely loved her entree. We weren't vey hungry so no starters tonight, but they brought bread and some sort of potato fritter that had bits of octopus in it. I loved it, my wife stopped eating it when she found out about the octopus! She was fine before I told her. We order a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio and I went for the wild boar ragu while the wife tried I Fagottini Del Contadino, pasta stuffed with pears & pecorino cheese in a saffron and pecorino sauce. Spectacular! The pear had a little sweet and the pecorino a little salt and the sauce was velvety smooth and delicious! My ragu was very hearty with lots of pork. Simply delicious. They had crème brûlée, which is my wife favorite. We still had a little wine left, so she ordered that and I got the double chocolate cake with orange marmalade. We both enjoyed our deserts very much. While they didn't have gnocchi, we both thoroughly enjoyed our meal and will definitely come back the next time we are in town.

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Ristorante Peruca - Decor

Decor

Ristorante Peruca - Tre in Uno

Tre in Uno

Ristorante Peruca - Tomato pomporro with basil

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Tomato pomporro with basil

Il Focolare - tuscan - Updated May 2026

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