Tuscany

Travelers' Takes

Rates and Deals

Il Castello

More Photos
Elia Papillon
Elia Papillon
First Reviewer
5 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
1
Review
4
Photos
Editor Pick

Il Castello

Il Castello

One of the nights in Certaldo, we ate at Il Castello. This will be where we have our wedding meal so we were also trying to decide on our wedding menu this night.

Il Castello is a small hotel (they have just 12 rooms). It was the beautiful Palazzo Scoto di Semifonte covered with climbing ivy at the top of the funicular in Certaldo Alto.

You can eat inside, but it was a beautiful evening so we chose to eat out in the garden. In the middle of the garden is a fountain which at night is lit up and looks very pretty. There is a family of turtles living here also. From the garden you can see down into Certaldo and over to some of the other towns in the area. The view is really stunning.

For antipasti we tried:

Antipasti Misti - Ham, salami, Tuscan croutons, young sheep cheese and vegetables preserved in olive oil
Carpaccio di Bresaola - Wafer thin slices of smoked beef marinated in fresh lemon juice topped with lettuce and fine slivers of sheep's cheese
Panzanella - Tuscan bread and tomato salad
Cipollata - onion soup

For primo we tried:

Risotto ai funghi porcini - Risotto with porcini mushrooms
Pappardelle al cinghiale - Pappardelle pasta with a wild bore sauce
Ravioli funghi e tartufo - Vegetable and cheese filled pasta with a mushroom and truffle sauce
Zuppa di farro - Spelt and white bean soup

For secondo we tried:

Arrosto Misto - mixed grilled meats Tuscan style
Prosciutto di maiale al forno - Wood oven-baked pork ham
Lasagne ai funghi - lasagne with mushrooms
Tagliatelle al tartufo - pasta and truffles

For contorno we tried:

Patate al forno - roasted potatoes with sage and rosemary
Fagioli all'uccelletto - Tuscan style white beans with sage and garlic
Verdure alla griglia - grilled mixed vegetables

We had also a bottle of house white wine and house red wine (which were excellent) and limoncello after dinner.

The service was excellent, although the restaurant was very busy that night and there were just four or five waiters. We weren't the only tourists having dinner but there were also several local families eating here, this for me is normally a sign of a good restaurant.

We really enjoyed our meal, all the dishes we tried were really great and we are very much looking forward to our wedding here, although we still haven't decided the menu.

When we went to pay for our meal, we were told it was free as we will have our wedding here. Even still, this is a top end restaurant but prices are very good. This 5 course meal with wine would cost about €40 - €50 per person.

I think this is a nice restaurant for families, they are friendly to children but also for a romantic meal.

The restaurant is closed on Thursdays, and the entire hotel is closed in November.

website: Il Castello

From journal Wedding Planning in Tuscany

Compare Tuscany Rates

1. Enter travel information

City

2. Select websites to compare rates

Each selected website will open a new window.

Tuscany Travel Deals