La Locanda nel Cassero

High quality cuisine of the Maremma region

Civitella Marittima is one of many tiny medieval villages sitting atop the hills of the Maremma and its narrow winding streets merit a short visit. It would, however, be difficult to justify a second visit to this sleepy town if it weren't for the restaurant La Locanda nel Cassero.

Because of the Locanda, seeing as we're talking of one of our favorite restaurants anywhere, we've personally made the trek back to Civitella several times in the last few years. Every single time we've had excellent meals, so each time we determine we'll return again.

At the Locanda nel Cassero it is possible to try local Maremma and Tuscan dishes. The fresh ingredients are their point of excellence: the menu changes with the seasons and availability of the raw material, which are already chosen from the bounty of the local territory. For example, the premium meat of menu all comes from the area around Civitella. Many of the recipes are local, such as the acquacotta, a vegetable soup on toasted bread, offered in its Civitella variation.

The dishes are both simple and refined, always beautifully presented (the eye also needs to be satisfied) and in the right amounts that allow, at least for those who enjoy eating good food like us, to taste all courses of the meal without exploding.

A few dishes are available year-round, such as the Rivolto del Cassero, an original style crepe filled with pecorino cheese and unsmoked bacon which is my favorite antipasto. Among the dishes we tasted, we recall the best gnocchi ever tasted: melt in your mouth goodness! All of the pasta offered on the menu is homemade and you can tell. The meat was always very tasty, the classic bistecca alla fiorentina as well as the slices of wild boar marinated in juniper berries were delicious. The restaurant offers over 50 Tuscan wine labels, many from the local area; we found the house wine was also very good.

The ambiance, welcoming and relaxing, is decorated in a rustic country style with tools used by farmers and a large corner fireplace offered a warm pleasure when the outdoors was a bit cool. The restaurant also has a small terrace outside for summer dining but we have yet to visit during the warm weather months when the space is open.

Every time we've dined at the Locanda del Cassero we felt we paid absolutely reasonable prices, actually even very good prices for the quality of both the food and service we received.

The Locanda is also a bed and breakfast with 5 rooms, a terrace with panoramic views and hot tub - and guests should know that they'll receive a discount for eating at the restaurant. At breakfast, we had the chance to better get to meet the chef and owner of the Locanda, Alessandro Prosperi, taking advantage he wasn't in the kitchen at that time. He is very friendly and easy to talk to, very modest, and surely a person that loves his work. Breakfast was delicious, with homemade jams and pastries.

While the restaurant and B&B are small, it is very charming, a very relaxing and romantic place to eat and stay at. We had the pleasure to stay there for 3 nights in the Romantica room and it was a wonderful chance to explore that corner of the Maremma, returning tired every night and yet looking forward to the excellent dinner that was awaiting us. We will surely go back soon and, if it wasn't yet understood, wholeheartedly recommend La Locanda nel Cassero to everyone!