‘My Corner of Italy’…
The Tuscan/Ligurian Borders…
September 2023
I’m not normally one to make spontaneous decisions, but just over twenty years ago that’s exactly what Nick and I did. Having holidayed in Italy we returned with the dream of buying a little Italian bolt hole and three months later we were owners of a small apartment in a medieval village in the foothills of the Italian Apennines. Fate is a funny thing and looking back I think that it actually found us rather than the other way round. Despite the riskiness of our spontaneity it’s something that has continued to give us much joy over the years. Other than the wonderful family memories it’s offered us the chance to become acquainted with another culture, made us new friends and encouraged my love for the Italian language. And it has, of course, fuelled my love for Italian food – we spend a lot of our time eating out when in ‘our’ corner of Italy. So following my recent Italian break, I thought it was about time that I shared a small piece of my very special corner with you. There are quite a few restaurants which we return to year in and year out but ‘Ottone’ and ‘Locanda di Bruno’ are my particular favourites
Ottone can be found in Sarzana which is just north of Pisa on the Ligurian/Tuscan border. The town has been described as ‘quietly spectacular’ which is a perfect description; it has a fortress and a piazza yet doesn’t attract droves of tourists, which is a relief when like us you’re always seeking the ‘true’ Italian experience. Instead, you’ll find ‘real’ Italians going about their daily errands and on any given summer’s evening the little streets fill with families taking a ‘passeggiata’, browsing the numerous antiques shops, a ‘gelato’ in hand.
Since first stumbling on Ottone just over twenty years ago, Nick and I have become loyal customers, returning again and again for its wonderful dishes; Ottone serves a fish menu with traditional Italian roots yet with an inventive twist. When we first visited, chef/proprietors Remo and Lucia had just recently opened their restaurant on a corner of Piazza Matteotti. Over the years we have seen their restaurant grow in popularity and it’s now undoubtedly one of Sarzanna’s best. In the early days, we can remember the toys of their daughter strewn around the bottom of the garden where we dined – now she is their multilingual front-of-house! Our surroundings are definitely more elegant these days and the service is slicker, but their dishes remain as delicious as ever.
When we visited recently we both started with our favourite dishes which have remained on their menu for as long as we can remember. Nick favours the ‘Crudo di Pesce e Crostacei’, a plate of the freshest raw fish and shellfish, whilst I adore the ‘Gamberi su Cipolla Rossa’, prawns served with pickled red onions – the sweet/sour flavour of the onions is divine with the lightly poached prawns. Moving on to our main courses there was ‘Pappa al Pomodoro e Astice’, you may be familiar with this traditional thick Tuscan soup of tomato and bread but at Ottone they take it a step further and serve it with lobster, the combination is exquisite! We also chose ‘Filetto di Rombo Chiodato in Padella’, fillets of turbot served with basil and pine nuts, it was a simple dish which was cooked to perfection and tasted superb. Desserts were ‘Flambé di Pesci Accompagnato con Gelato Artigianale’; peaches flambéed in a light liqueur and served with the creamiest vanilla ice cream. There were also the freshest green figs caramelized and served with a mascarpone cream, again simple but stunning. Both desserts were the perfect end to a delicious dinner on a hot summer evening!
Locanda di Bruno, Pietrasanta, Tuscany
Locanda di Bruno is a ten-minute drive from the elegant town of Pietrasanta. When I’m in Italy the quintessential evening is ‘aperitivi’ in Pietrasanta then on to dinner at Locanda di Bruno. Pietrasanta is a lovely medieval town which is renowned for its art and sculpture. Along its pretty streets you’ll come across art galleries and workshops whilst dotted around you’ll see permanent works of art and temporary installations of modern sculpture. The main square, ‘Piazza Duomo’, is stunning… and a great setting for an aperitivo before heading off to Locanda di Bruno!..
Like Ottone, we’ve been regular customers at Locanda di Bruno for almost twenty years. Despite being slightly off the beaten track it attracts a smart clientele from Pietrasanta and beyond; in the winter they crowd into its old stone dining room and in the summer spread out onto the pretty courtyard. The menu changes seasonally – it’s a simple Tuscan affair with elegant rather than rustic overtones; the flavours of the dishes are clean and sophisticated. There are a choice of dishes either from the ‘terra’ (earth) or the ‘mare’ (sea). It was a particularly hot summer evening when we visited recently so we chose fish dishes but I should point out that their steak with roast potatoes and their ravioli with ragù are worth a detour! We started with ‘Lasagnette di Bruno’, ribbons of flat pasta with seafood and a touch of tomato – it was a simple yet refined dish. Likewise the ‘Riso alla Pescatora’ was served with finesse; risotto simply cooked with fish stock, squid, prawn and ‘arselle’ (arselle are popular locally, they are like clams only smaller), it was a tasty dish with well-balanced flavours. For our main courses, there was ‘Baccala alla Griglia’, salt cod simply grilled with cannellini beans, the cod was wonderful with its subtle saltiness whilst my dish ‘Catalana di Scampi e Gamberi’, langoustines and prawns served on a bed of crunchy crudites (carrot, fennel, spring onion and celery) was light and fresh – the sweetness of the shellfish was divine! Finally desserts, I always choose the ‘Torta di Ricotta’ which is served warm, it is incredibly light and is dotted with the sweetness of raisins. Nick chose the creamy vanilla semifreddo which is served with chunks of chocolate and nuts – wonderful! As always our dinner did not disappoint. I should add that Locanda di Bruno serves some fantastic Italian wines. Stefano, the restaurant’s owner, is very knowledgeable and is always happy to point us in the right direction, it seems a shame not to enjoy them just because we’re driving so more often than not we book a room at the B&B which happens to be in the old stone house above the restaurant!.. Francesca and Enrico’s beautiful home (L’Arcadia) offers simple traditional Tuscan rooms, so from the restaurant, all you need to do is walk upstairs to bed!… Perfect!
Menu Mistress 