Enclosed between the Apennines, the Apuan Alps and the Ligurian Sea, Lunigiana takes its name from the ancient Roman colony of Luni, the Ligurian municipality known until 2017 as Ortonovo. The area includes the provinces of Massa Carrara and La Spezia, to the left of the river Magra. A land of countryside and mountains, as well as of peasant cuisine, it offers specialties such as panigacci (a kind of crepes accompanied by cold meats and cheeses) and testaroli (like panigacci but cut into lozenges, boiled and seasoned with olive oil and cheese or with pesto, which in these parts calls for coarsely cut basil). And then chestnuts, mushrooms and truffles in the right season. Here are the best addresses.
Where to eat in Lunigiana. The best restaurants
Where to eat in Castelnuovo Magra in the province of La Spezia
Armanda
Trattoria. Founded in 1908 by Armanda Ponzanelli and over the years became an established reference point for traditional cuisine. The new management - starting in November 2022 - carries on the spirit and the proposal (panigazzi alla castelnovese with pesto, walnut sauce, olive oil and cheese, handmade corxetti, stoccafisso alla ligure), always following the season. Informal atmosphere, terrace with magnificent views over the Val di Magra.
Armanda - p.zza G. Garibaldi, 6 - 338 8434562 - Facebook
Where to eat in Filattiera in the province of Massa Carrara
Il Cantinon
Trattoria. A genuine and hearty cuisine place where all the typical Lunigiana recipes are honoured. Testaroli, made as tradition dictates from small, trusted local suppliers, are the must-try (in season choose those with truffles, otherwise there are those with pesto or olive oil and cheese), but you will also find excellent steaks. Characteristic dining room, and a wine cellar that you wouldn't expect.
Il Cantinon - p.zza Castello, 1 - 0187 1857363 - Facebook
Where to eat in Fosdinovo in the province of Massa Carrara
Locanda de Banchieri Giacomo Devoto Ristorante
Restaurant. The small relais is the realm of Giacomo Devoto, an all-round entrepreneur, also owner of Fuìn Cucina & Bottega and Officine del Cibo in Sarzana (see below). This is his fine dining restaurant, where the territory is exalted with creative touches, such as the “colpa d'Alfredo” tagliatelle, a personal reinterpretation of the Roman classic.
Locanda de Banchieri Giacomo Devoto Ristorante - fraz. Caniparola - via Porredo, 32 - 333 1849263 - locandadebanchieri.it
Where to eat in Licciana Nardi in the Massa Carrara province
Montagna Verde
Agriturismo. Also an “albergo diffuso” and organic farm, in the heart of the Parco Nazionale dell'Appennino Tosco-Emiliano, it offers hospitality and refreshment in a true oasis of peace, where you can be in contact with nature. At the right time of year expect a triumph of chestnuts, and testaroli are always on the menu. Here they make them according to a traditional recipe, a sort of “crepe” made with a batter of water and soft wheat flour cooked in a cast-iron “testo” and then cut into lozenges that are blanched and seasoned mostly with pesto.
Montagna Verde - via Apella - 0187 421203 -montagnaverde.it
Where to eat in Luni in the province of La Spezia
Da Fiorella
Trattoria. Until a few years ago, Luni was called Ortonovo, but Fiorella was already a cornerstone of this borderland from which the view extends as far as the Tuscan islands archipelago. The territorial vocation remains the same, with local meats and a few fish courses. You will also find some specialities of the house at Boteghin in Sarzana, same management, a modern focaccia shop, wine shop, and snack bar.
Da Fiorella - fraz. Nicola - via per Nicola, 46 - 0187 66857 - dafiorella.blogspot.com
Where to eat in Podenzana in the Massa Carrara province
La Gavarina d'Oro
Restaurant. This is the perfect place for a bite of panigacci, a low, round bread baked in a wood-fired oven on the “testo” cast iron pan and usually accompanied by local cured meats and cheeses. Here you will find them in many variations (including sweet for dessert), and there is no shortage of homemade pasta dishes and meat and fish main courses. Characteristic dining room, friendly service.
La Gavarina d’Oro - via del Gaggio, 24 - 0187 410021 - lagavarinadoro.com
Where to eat in Pontremoli in the Massa Carrara province
Osteria della Luna
Restaurant. They call them “i parmigiani”, because Mara is a “rezdora doc” from Parma transplanted to Tuscany who, together with her husband Luigi, in 2015 opened “a public place of popular tone with wine and other drinks where you eat hearty food” (her words). The cuisine is therefore a fine Tuscan-Emilian “fusion”, with lots of homemade pasta, tortelli and anolini firstly, plus gnocchi with soffritto and even testaroli, seasoned of course with homemade pesto.
Osteria della Luna - via P. Cocchi 40 - 0187 833610 - Facebook
Osteria San Francesco e il Lupo
Trattoria. Olive oil and pecorino cheese, Ligurian or Pontremolese pesto (with coarsely chopped basil and not pounded), with black summer truffle: testaroli are one of the most popular specialities of the Osteria run by Francesco Romiti. The menu, however, is extensive and varied, and not to be missed are the grazing boards with every delicacy and the Zeri lamb steaks. Cheerful staff, reasonable prices. Reservations mandatory.
Osteria San Francesco e il Lupo - p.zza San Francesco, 1 - 0187 833064 - Facebook
Where to eat in Sarzana in the La Spezia province
I Capitelli
Restaurant. From July 2023 moved to a new location not far from the previous one, I Capitelli remains a good place where traditional local recipes are combined with a few modern twists. The menu offers sea and land, not forgetting dishes for vegetarians. The wine cellar is also good, with bottles for every need.
I Capitelli - via dei Fondachi, 42 - 0187 691445 - ristoranteicapitelli.it
Fuìn Cucina & Bottega
Bistro. The latest from Giacomo Devoto, owner of the Locanda dei Banchieri (see listing), is a contemporary concept with an extensive wine cellar, high-quality gastronomy and a trattoria. “Fuin” in dialect means 'cunning', and gives the idea of the cuisine: original but linked to the territory. The leavened products are of a high standard, as are the vegetable dishes.
Fuìn Cucina & Bottega - p.zza G. Matteotti, 5 - 334 3508021 - fuin.it
Officine del Cibo
Pizzeria. Another place by Giacomo Devoto, this time dedicated to pizza: classic Neapolitan, pizza baked in a pan, pan-fried, and fried. There is always a focus on local products, for example in the Lunigianese, where alongside smoked provola and fiordilatte, there are other local cheeses, Oligeri sausage, caramelised Treschietto onions, chlorophyll, grana cheese, basil and extra virgin olive oil. There is also a gluten-free steamed version, and for starters panizza and testaroli. Cocktail pairings, wine and beer.
Officine del Cibo - via Brigata Partigiana Ugo Muccini, 181 - 393 9584694 - officinedelcibosarzana.it
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