Osteria La Porta

A terrace above the Val d'Orcia

The Osteria La Porta is in Monticchiello, a walled village on the Pienza hill, at Via del Piano, 1, a few steps from the medieval gate by which you enter the village and from which it takes its name. The house defines itself as an osteria of the most authentic Tuscany, in the dishes and in the atmosphere. What sets it apart is the outdoor terrace, with open views of the hills of the valley; the house boasts that it is the most beautiful in the Val d'Orcia. At lunchtime it is the place to eat with the landscape in front of you; in the evening, to watch the sunset.

Monticchiello is close to Pienza, along a winding road between cypresses. It is a good lunch stop on a route through Pienza and Montepulciano, or between a morning at Bagno Vignoni and an afternoon in Pienza.

What to order

The menu is Tuscan and short. To start, crostone of black cabbage with cannellini beans, chicken liver terrine with caramelised onion and brioche, tongue carpaccio with salsa verde or cod with pappa al pomodoro. For first courses, the pici, the thick hand-made pasta of the area: all'aglione della Val d'Orcia, with aglione sauce, the big local garlic, or with traditional ragù. Also bread gnocchi with salted butter and sage, and carabaccia, the onion soup, with pecorino.

For main courses, cheek braised in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, duck with plums, tripe alla toscana, fried cod with chickpea cream or bistecca alla fiorentina. For those who do not eat meat, roast cabbage with chestnut mousse. For dessert, tiramisu, cantucci with vin santo or chocolate mousse with chestnuts.

The website does not publish prices.

When to go and how to book

Open every day except Thursday, at lunchtime from 12:00 to 15:00 and in the evening from 19:00 to 22:00. Book from the button on its website or by phone on 0578 755163; for the terrace in spring, September and October, book in advance and ask for it expressly.