Creative dining in L’Osteria Volpaia

Volpaia is lucky enough to boast several decent inns, both on the main square, and both serving traditional Tuscan home cooking. Instead, L’Osteria Volpaia seeks to surprise rather than to soothe. This is a games-playing gourmet restaurant that aims to deconstruct Tuscan staples. Even so, this gastro-inn is not so much faddish or whimsical as seeking to reconfigure Tuscan ingredients in tantalising new ways. The creative cooking relies upon the freshest local ingredients, often from the estate’s kitchen gardens or vineyards, all owned by the same local landlords. The family owners are fully committed to sustainable practice and follow this through in both the restaurant and wine estate.   

This gastro inn reinterprets Tuscan produce in novel ways. In the cannellini bean ravioli with saffron and sour cream, a typical Tuscan side dish of white cannellini beans is transformed into a puré in a saffron sauce marbled with sour cream. The chef’s tribute to Tuscan ribollita soup becomes a mix of black cabbage and ricotta balls served with local finocchiona salami made with fennel seeds. Other dishes include a wild boar and olive risotto and, for dessert, cantucci mousse, goat’s cheese ice cream and Vin Santo coffee caramel. L’Osteria naturally serves organic wines from Castello di Volpaia. Prices are fairly high but reasonable, given the sheer inventiveness and the quality of the ingredients.


Address: Vicolo della Torre 2, Volpaia, 53017 Radda in Chianti
Tel: +39 0577 738066
Web: www.osteriavolpaia.com