Antica Trattoria La Torre

The Stiaccini family have been proudly cooking & serving up classic Tuscan food fare in the center of Castellina since 1860.  When you step into their trattoria, you feel like you've entered the family home with a warm welcome and the smells of Chiantigiana cooking coming from the cucina. This is a nice place to spend a long lunch in between visiting local wine producers near Castellina.

The menu will be familiar to anyone who has spent time in Chianti, with classic Tuscan fare. I always like to start with the Antipasto Torre to sample their house-made salumi. All of the pasta is hand made by the family, and you can't go wrong with any sauce; when it's in season, I go for the rich Pappardelle alla Cinghiale (wild boar sauce).  During the summer months, try their Ravioli Ricotta Fresca e Spinaci with shaved summer black truffles.  Usually an antipasto and a pasta dish is more than enough food, but if you're still hungry try their Arrosti Misti di Carni, local Chianti pork, beef and chicken roasted over a wood fire.

La Torre has a fine wine list stocked with mostly local Chianti Classico bottles and a few nice Brunello and Vino Nobile wines. If you're not feeling like a bottle, just try the local sfuso (house) red wine by the glass or half liter -- it's a Chianti that's inexpensive, pretty good and goes well with the local dishes.