There are so many excellent restaurants throughout Italy that making a list of the best places in the country would be a fools' mission. What I have decided to do instead is to present a list of the restaurants I most enjoy from Sorrento to Tuscany and from Rome to Venice. Some are prestigious and expensive, others are simple, without pretensions and remarkably reasonable in price. At all, I have consistently experienced meals that were never anything but marvelous. (Telephone numbers are given only when reservations are required or suggested).

In Florence

Enoteca Pinchiorri, Via Ghibellina 87: One of the very best restaurants in Europe. Very expensive but definitely worth the investment. My suggestion, try the degustation menu. Reservations required: Tel: 24-27-77.

Il Cibreo, via dei Macci 118: A small, intimate and somewhat bohemian bistro with great antipasti, excellent soups and fantastic desserts. Expensive. Reservations required. Tel: 234-11-00.

Le Quattro Stagioni, Via Maggio 61R (near the piazza dei Pitti). Try the gnocchi, the unique Catherine de Medici salad, the veal dishes. Expensive. Reservations required. Telephone 21-89-06.

Cammillo, Borgo San Jacopo 57R: A noisy but excellent trattoria (in the Oltrarno part of the city). All of the dishes are worth trying. One of my favorite places. Reasonably priced. Reservations suggested at night Telephone 21-24-27.

L'Antico Fattore, via Lambertesca 1 (around the corner from the Uffizi museum). Typical Tuscan food, reasonably priced. Ultimately simple atmosphere but worth trying for the quality of the food.

Ristorante Corsini, Lungarno Corsini. Elegant Tuscan food in a very pleasant palatial setting. Ideal for lunch. Telephone 21-77-06.

Tuscany in General

In Volterra: Etruria, opposite the Palazzo dei Priori. Nothing fancy but really nice and good food at reasonable prices Sit outside if possible and have a fun view of the town's main square. Reasonable prices.

At La Foce (10 minutes drive from Chianciano): L'Oasi, via della Vittoria 90. Typically Tuscan restaurant, especially good if you enjoy grilled steaks, grilled fish and robust local wines. Reasonable prices.

In Montemerano (7 km south of Saturnia): Laudomia a rustic, inexpensive trattoria (with rooms if you're in the mood). Delightful food. Be sure to try the aqua cotta, which is a Tuscan vegetable soup served with an egg. Also consider buying some of the jams for sale here to take home as gifts.

Monteriggioni: Il Pazzo, a family run restaurant, with good food Try the panzerotti (crepes and cream), the meat dishes (make sure they cook them on the grill), and the grilled shrimps if they have them. Moderate prices.

In Montefollonico (fifteen minutes Northwest of Montepulciano) the Restaurant al Chiusa - one of the best restaurants in Tuscany. Beautiful design, beautiful gardens, exquisite view. Definitely to be tried. Moderately expensive.

In Montalcino: try the Caffe Fiaschetteria Italiana, a belle eqopue wine bar and coffee house where you can taste and compare different Brunello de Montalcino wines by the glass. Don't skip the marvelous chocolate desserts.

In the town of Radda (south of Greve). Relais Vignale. along the wine route, thus worth visiting. Lovely, good country style Tuscan food at moderate prices. Telephone (0577) 73-80-94.

In Siena: Alas, not much good to eat here, but the desserts are marvellous. Try Nannini on via Banchi de Sopra for fantastic cakes, cookies and coffee.

In Prato: (20 km Northwest of FLorence). Il Pirana, an excellent fish and seafood restaurant. Try especially the spaghetti with lobster. Via Valentini 110.

In Pisa: For cheap, unpretentious but realy fine dining try the Trattoria della Mescata, a tiny little place behind the Hotel Victoria in the market square piazza delle Vettovaglie.

In Pisa: Al Ristoro dei Vecchi Macelli, 49 via Volturno. One of the region's best restaurants. Fish and seafood are the things to try here. Expensive. Reservations required Tel (050) 204-24.

Milan

All'Isola: Corso Como 10: Everything here is traditional Milanese fare. Among the best dishes are the saffron rice , the cotoletta alla Milanese; the osso bucco; and the cassoeula, a stew made with pork, sausage and white beans. Prices are reasonable. Tel 502-091-22.

La Scaletta: Piazzale Stazione Genova 3: This not at all pretentious but excellent restaurant features the cuisine of Milan and the surrounding area of Lombardy. Be sure to try the rabbit with peperonataor the sweetbreads in cream. Moderate to expensive prices. Reservations suggested. Telephone 581-002-90.

Il Giarrosto: Corso Venezia 31: This traditional tratoria is always packed but always worth a visit because the regional dishes served are excellent. The minestrone here is absolutely marvelous, the osso buco is excellent and the risotto alla Milanese is unique. Be sure to close your meal out with the exquisite peaches in marscapone cheese. Reasonable prices. Telephone 760-004-81.

Mansuelli: viale Umbria 80. This small atmospheric tratoria, one of the most colorful and popular in town features different dishes from day to day. The beef stew is among the best I have eaten anywhere; the roast pork , which is accompanied by cabbage, is always a treat; and all of the polenta dishes are worth trying. Reasonable prices. Telephone 528-041-38.

Stendahl: via San Marco at the corner of via Ancona: Located near the La Scala opera house, this luxurious restaurant is the ideal place for late night suppers. Among the best dishes here are the "frito misto", a mixed fry of various meats, the minestrone soup which is thick with rice, and the zuppa pavese (consomme with a poached egg). Closed Sundays. Moderate prices. Reservations suggested. Tel: 655-5587.

Sant'Ambrogio: Corso Matteotti 7: The most famous tea room in Milan, worthy of a visit just for a cup of coffee or tea and to see the magnificent ice cream sculptures or for light meals from breakfast until the small hours of the morning. Reasonable prices. Tel: 76-000-540.

Ristorante Al Mercante: piazza Mercanti 17: Set in a Medieval square, this little restaurant is so renowned for its huge selection of antipasti that few ever go on to a main course, choosing instead to return again and again to the antipasto table. Also excellent are the pasta dishes and stuffed vegetables (ripieni), and the restaurant also has a good name because of the high quality of its house wines. Moderate prices. Telephone 805-21-98.

Osteria dei Binari, near the Porta Genoeserailroad station (ask anyone walking by who speaks Italian for directions.) This unpretentious little eatery, habituated by the eighty year olds who live in the neighborhood and bankers who come from miles away, features regional cooking at its very best. During the winter months be sure to try the pumpkin soup, the minestrone or the fish soup and then go on to any of the heavy beef or chicken stews that are offered (the bollito misto here is one of the best you will ever taste). Prices are ridiculously low.

In Rome

Osteria Il Gladiatore, Piazzale del Colosseo 15 (near the ancient city): Traditional Roman dishes. Reasonable prices. Try to sit outdoors if the weather is good.

La Rosetta: On the small street of the same name. (Not far from the Pantheon). One of the city's most popular and best fish restaurants. Simple, Sicilian food,. Try especially the pasta with sardines grapes or fennel. Be sure to drink the Corvo wine that is served in carafes. Reasonable prices.

L'Orso Ottanta, via dell'Orso 33 (near the Piazza Navona). One of the great antipasto tables in the city, also for pasta dishes and meat courses. Personally, I always feast here on antipasto and then a pizza. Reasonable prices.

Dal Bolognese, piazza del Popolo: Specializes in Bolognese cuisine. Try especially the bollito misto (boiled meats with green parsley sauce, capers and onions). Reasonable prices Reservations suggested. Telephone 679-20-83.

Osteria Marcello, via Aurora 37 (near the Via Veneto): Good food despite being a very "in" restaurant. Try the brasato (pot roast simmered in wine), and any of the pasta-vegetable combinations. Moderate prices.

Venice

Do Forni, San Marco 457: The seafood and fish dishes here are probably the best you will find in all of Venice. Expensive but not outrageous, and well worth the money. Reservations required for dinner. Telephone 523-7729.

Osteria il Milion, corte Prima al Milion 5841. A family style restaurant, popular with young and old Venetians from all social classes. This is one of the few places in the city that knows how to prepare meat dishes well. Also well known for its pasta and rice dishes. Inexpensive. Telephone 522-9302.

Vino Vino, calle delle Veste 16: This modern but charming establishment started off as a wine bar but now offers a large variety of snacks and, if one goes to the second floor, a restaurant with a full menu. Those in the know sit at the bar and build a meal out of the many antipasti that are offered. There are nearly 300 different wines to be tasted, and these can be ordered by the glass, the carafe or the bottle. Prices reasonable.

Quadri and Florian's: These cafes, which sit directly opposite each other in Piazza San Marco, are among the most delightful and most famous cafes in the world. The luxuriously furnished Quadri is as widely known for its exquisite food as for its outrageous prices, but do not hesitate to take a table just for coffee, an aperitif and either a snack or a delicious cake. Florian's, with its fin de siecle decor, is famed primarily for its coffees, cakes and sandwiches. Either is an ideal place to sit on a cold day.

Trattoria alla Madonna, calle della Madonna 954. Attractive, informal and comfortable, the specialties in this relatively simple place are regional dishes made with whatever fresh fish have come to the market that morning. Definitely worth trying. Inexpensive.

Pizzeria Alle Oche: calle de Tentor 1552-B (adjoining campo San Giocomo dell'Orio). Telephone 524-1161. In my opinion, the best pizza place in the city. Inexpensive.

Da Ivo: calle dei Fuseri 1809 (near Teatro Fenice). Telephone 528-6974. This tiny restaurant, with only 8 tables, specializes in meat dishes, but customers can dine on just a pasta and salad if they chose. Try the house wines, which are always good and rarely expensive. Moderate - expensive, depending on what dishes are ordered.

Sorrento

Don Alfonso 1890: Sant'Agata sui due Golfi 9 km from Sorrento; 57 km. from Napoli Tel 0039-81-8780026. Reservations essential.

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© Daniel Rogov