When it comes to heading out for Italian aperitivo, it really doesn't get any better than Porta San…read morePietro. For just 6 euro you are handed a delightful Aperol Spritz (aperol + prosecco) and are welcome to a smorgasbord of tasty dishes. Typically Italians partake in aperitvo before heading out for dinner so you take a plate to accompany your drink and enjoy with friends. It is a most excellent tradition and can vary from being just a handful of crisps, olives and cheese on a plate to what we are treated to at Porta San Pietro. The selection here includes baked potatoes and frankfurts, seafood couscous, salads, cold meats, frittata, pizza, pasta, garlic breads and more. Dinner optional ;)

Cozy eating place, and just as the name says you are sitting in a barn where you eat. It's okay…read morefood at an ok price, the service in here was also nice, we got the help it needed. The house wine was perhaps a bit of a flat experience, considering that we were in Italy.

The restaurant is part of the 4-star hotel Vittoria, an excellent base in Faenza in itself. There…read moreis an indoor space under a stunning dome, but when the weather permits seating is outside. The informal space belies the formality of the service and the dedication of the chef, which are way above the usual levels for small hotels. I had two dinners and a lunch there, one dinner being the "chef's surprise menu", a languorous experience for both eyes and tastebuds, accompanied by some excellent wines. I could only fault the macaroons filled with goat's cheese, for being too sweet. Otherwise, the tastes were refined and sometimes surprising in their combinations. A shrimp "sashimi" in tomato water stood out, as did all fish mains. All this was not cheap in absolute terms, but way less expensive than it would have been in Northern Europe, and the lack of pretense made the elaborate dishes an adventure rather than a parade.