redstucco

Sorry, can't remember the price of dinner with or without wine -- though even if I remembered, my information might be out of date. My sense is that it was a fairly expensive and quite luxurious treat. If you need to know, it's probably better to write and ask the restaurant about their pricing. I don't recall a specific dress code (though, absurdly, I recall exactly what I wore on both occasions!) -- people looked very nice but not overly formal as I remember. Same for me. Many languages were spoken in the dining room, as seems to be the case at starred restaurants. I think the place has that comfortable urban-European-visiting-the-country fashion feeling, if that helps any.

Hi, I like your idea that the Maremma may become the next Cinque Terre, but it is a different place physically with a different history of habitation, so that may not come true. But let's watch and see! I have two recommendations of places to eat in the Maremma: 1. Da Caino, in the town of Montemerano Da Caino Elegant, fantastic food. Interesting wine list. We've been there twice, once in 2001, again in 2002. I vividly remember the first thing I ever ate there: a savory pumpkin panna cotta, but all the food is delicious and artful. The dining room is small, so a reservation is a must. It is also an inn, so if you can plan far enough in advance, you may be able to get a room upstairs, which would make it even more of a treat. Plan to arrive a bit early for dinner so you can spend a few minutes in their wine/jam shop. We haven't been lucky enough to get a room so we stayed elsewhere. We loved a place called Acqua Viva, about a ten minute drive away. Very warm and hospitable place. (You can read about it at Villa Acqua Viva, and Tuscany.net can show a lot of other accommodations). There are mineral springs nearby and a fancy hotel adjacent to that, plus numerous tiny b&bs (or agriturismos) nearby. One warning: if you are going around November 1, as we did once, you must have lodging reserved in advance. This is a big time for Italians to travel to pay respects to their dead loved ones and all the inns in that area are booked then. When we discovered all the inns full, we stayed in Orbetello, which is 30 minutes away. The hotel there (Hotel I Presido) and the town as a whole are kind of elegant, so it turned out to be an unexpected treat. 2. Il Tufo Allegro, in the town of Pitigliano Tiny, straightforward place with a small, seasonal menu and specials of the day. I had an incredible dark wild boar with fennel stew; my husband had the tenderest rabbit dish I've ever experienced. The waitress also recommended an excellent wine which was a perfect match with the boar. I dream of this meal. (Il Tufo Allegro does not have its own website but is mentioned here and there on the web. Here is the url of a page at Slow Travel Italy with some reviews of this special restaurant: Slow Travel Italy/Pitigliano/Il Tufo Allegro Reviews Hope this is helpful or at least inspiring! Have a great trip. Laura