Buca di San Francesco

Arezzo is a prosperous, rather austere provincial town, the centre of a rich farming zone. It is internationally famous for the stunning frescoes there by Piero della Francesco but locally more famous for Mario de Filippis’ friendly little trattoria, Buca di San Francesco. There you can sit in the frescoed cellar of a sixteenth-century palace and eat specialities such as zuppa di fagioli (bean soup), homemade tagliolini, ricotta, with acacia honey, and chicken from the nearby Valdarno cooked ‘in porchetta’. Porchetta is a whole roast piglet usually sold from stalls by travelling vendors throughout Tuscany and Umbria. Chicken cooked in the same way is stuffed with quantities of leafy wild fennel, sage leaves and garlic.