Antonio and his wife Enza have a love for what they do. He worked in various pizzerias in Naples…read morefor many years and created this quaint pizzeria just down the road from Barga. They deploy practices used for making pizza according to the VPN process and ingredients. They are attentive to what you like as far as toppings are concerned and all ingredients are fresh. The oven is a classic high heat that finishes the crust in about a minute. They are beautiful people.

I can confirm what has already been posted here. Yes, it is hard to find (look for the Hausbrandt…read moresign, see pic). Yes, there is in fact a grandma cooking the food (just as Jeff J. said, two in fact). Yes, the food is amazing. Maybe the reason this place is so hard to find is that it is a hidden gem that feels so authentic that you only hear whispers about it. But it is real folks. We started our meal with the fried polenta with ragu. The combination is a meal in itself. You can tell the ragu was fresh and well made because you could see the chunky bits of garlic, mushrooms and meat. The next course was the lasgna. It was rich with the ragu and ricotta. The noodles tasted homemade. It was a delicious dish blessed by a nonna. The last course was the steak Florentine. You can order it by weight. My conversion math may have been off because we got a HUGE cut of porterhouse. But it was absolutely tender and delicious. We enjoyed this delight to the bone. The service was exceptional. We were the only non-Italian folks in the restaurant but we were treated like family. I will also add that while I enjoyed our food selection, I noticed that the pizzas and pork/veal shank were also very popular and looked incredibly appetizing. My only regret is that we found this gem of a restaurant on our last night in Barga. I wish I had more time to taste more of the menu. The family owns another restaurant in Lucca (la Donna Clara) and one that's 3 km away that does seafood.

Writing this review is ridiculously painful because figuring out how we got there and its address…read morewas impossible. Their "webpage" is on Facebook, but their address on Facebook is inaccurate (stating that it's in Lucca city). On the receipt, there are two addresses, their page on TripAdvisor is matches one of the address on the receipt. When I put down the address here, the location on Yelp doesnt seem right. I tried to Google Map this place, but street images were taken in 2011, and this place wasnt opened yet. Long story short, we were driving down from Renaissance Tuscany Il ciocco resort on the SP20 looking for a restaurant, and happened to turn into this one off the side. It seemed like a traditional Italian restaurant you see on TV with cozy red chequered table cloths, a wood fire oven, and ladies behind the counter busy making pizza and pasta for you. We ordered a 4 seasons pizza (6EUR) and a personal sized lasagna (8EUR) - both of which came out of the wood oven! It was so delicious. We came in just before noon and there was only one other table filled but as we were leaving this place filled almost to the max and when we were driving out, people were waiting for our parking spot! WIth a beer and capuccion, our total was only 18.50 for too and we were so full.We really felt it was traditional Italian home cooking - awesome comfort food. We are still wishing to go back!

Full of locals so you know it must be good. Very nice, reasonable alternative to eating at the…read morenearby hotel for every meal. I am told it is only open on weekends for dinner. We enjoyed 2 pizzas and a carafe of local red wine for $18 Euro. To say that is reasonable is an understatement. We enjoyed our meal and the wine. Most of all, it was fun to watch all of the locals come in, mingle, and enjoy each other and the food. Highly recommend, if for no other reason than the experience.

"cucina tradizionale casalingha, pasta , dolci e pane di nostra produzione cotto al forno a legna,…read morespecialita' carne alla brace e baccala', patate cotte sotto la cenere verdure grigliate ecc." one of the best restaurants in the garfagnana! i highly recommend it.

My husband and I stumbled upon this adorable town outside of Tuscany called Lucca and had an…read moreamazing dinner experience. Everything was divine! We started with vino of course from a long selection of local Tuscany wines. We then split a vegetable salad that was topped with fresh balsamic and olive oil, bread, phenomenal Cacaio e Pepe and a pizza. They cook the pizza on a wood fire grill so we had to try it! One of the servers kept telling other tables about "cake" so of course we inquired and settled on chocolate. It was delicious! Service was great and accommodating to English which was helpful. Would recommend! Dining room also promotes conversation with close tables. We met a sweet pair of ladies on a girls trip and chatted it up with them over some dessert and vino. Lovely experience!

Really great wood fired pizzas and calzones (any many other dishes). We picked up and the staff was…read morefriendly

Service was friendly and the pizza was amazing so light, crispy and flavorful. We got the buffalo…read moremozzarella and tomato sauce. Definitely worth the stop!

Stopped in Lucca on our way from the beach back to Florence. Just happened upon Pizzeria Itaco…read morewhile roaming around the area. Perfect pizza and salad. Such a quaint town. Wish we could have spent more time there.

We're walking into Old Town Monterosso back to our apartment and notice this man sitting alone…read moreenjoying his pasta. I double take and look at his carbonara. It looks amazing at a quick glance. We walk a few more steps and then turn back around to see it again and ask the man working if he can seat the 3 of us. He looks around at his tables (there are only 6-8 tables) and tells us to come back in an hour which seemed a little off putting at first. He tells us to try any of the restaurants next door because they are all his. But my mind is stuck on the carbonara. So we ask if he offers takeaway for his meals and he agrees to our carbonara and pizza order. Later I realize he's the owner and just very busy and focused on taking care of his customers and actually friendly. While we're waiting, the solo Italian man raves about the carbonara. Says he's an advertising salesman who travels often to the area and eats out often and this carbonara is the best. He liked that he focuses on quality, not quantity. Sold! It was one of our best meals on the trip. The bacon was cooked perfectly and crispy. Pasta cooked perfectly and sauce delicious, just clung to the noodles. Pizza devoured and he actually cut the pizza slices so we could share easily. I'm sad it was our last night, otherwise I would've gone for a second time. I'll be thinking about that carbonara for a while. Definitely worth a stop in Old Town Monterosso.

Probably one of the best meals this trip…read more Tiny place with maybe 8-9 tables Owner is wonderful high energy person Really good bruschetta...that rustic bread Excellent ravioli in meat sauce Solid pizzas Nice simple wine selection Great rock n roll music playing

What a find! We were town hopping and I was thrilled to find a super vegan-friendly establishment…read morein Manarola. I wish I was hungrier so I could've had something more substantial, because they had all sorts of veganized Italian entrees, including lasagna! I was in the mood for farinata, a chickpea flour pancake, and wine, so I ordered that and then grabbed a croissant to have the next morning. The man working behind the counter was very friendly, and confirmed the farinata was vegan (it was one of the few things not clearly marked, even though it's almost always vegan). This place is small and very popular with tourists, as he makes it very easy for foreigners to order with multiple translations of the menu on poster boards. It makes it look like a tourist trap but really, he's just accommodating as many people as possible. The farinata was delicious! It reminded me of the socca I had in Nice, and it paired perfectly with a local white wine. The croissant was great, too, even the next day. I'd definitely come back for lunch, there's so much good looking food.

Omg soooooo good! Californian here who recently went vegan. Had to go vegetarian out in Europe…read moresince I'm traveling with folks who won't go out of the way for vegan food but every chance I get, I grab vegan. This place had great customer service, cute spot and the food was perfect!!! I recommend any vegetarian or vegan to eat here! :-) so happy right now!!! Makes me want to open a vegan Italian restaurant in California!

I have traveled a significant amount around Italy and the world and I can comfortably say that Mara…read moreMeo in Lucca has the BEST burrata pizza I have ever had. There are so many options for the gluten free and lactose intolerant people as well that I was surprised! Italian food is heavy on gluten and dairy, and Mara Meo does the substitutions astonishingly well The also have Delicious large salads all at Affordable prices and with a lovely outside sitting area with a view of the piazza. Absolutely a must when visiting Luca!

The restaurant up the road was closed and we stumbled on this place a block away for lunch. We had…read moreincredible pizza in Napoli a couple days ago and this place blew that pizza out of the water. The service was fantastic and the barrata pizza with pepperoni was out of this world. Super impressed. Don't hesitate for a second to drop into Mara Meo when in Lucca!