Quote: Down among the dead men I dined. Or maybe not. The IgoUgo review I read which prompted me to track down this place (not quite as straightforward a task as I had hoped) said that diners were seated in old Etruscan tombs. The blurb at Antica Osteria da Divo instead coyly describes the chambers as 'vaults'...

To find the restaurant start facing the Duomo facade, head down Via dei Fusari to its left, then dog-leg back down Via Franciosa further down the hill. Antica Osteria da Divo is through an unheralded door on your left. Inside the setting and ambiance do not quite match up. The first dining room resembles an old farm house - a barn-like space with mismatched bricks and wooden props. Steps lead down to two lower rooms. These are vaults carved into the soft tufa stone by Etruscans (an enigmatic Italian people that proved to be one of ancient Rome's fiercest opponents and then one of their first conquests). The chalky white material is smooth and cold to the touch, and the air just smelt *clean* to me. It was in the first of these rooms that I was seated. As for the ambience, well I would call it pretty posh. China and silver service, muted piped opera, and an attentive and ever-so smart waiter, who seemed to be responsible for just me and the older British couple in the corner. The prices reflect this, although they were in no way horrific. They were high enough for me to decide (after quite some humming and hahing let me tell you) to forgo the extensive wine list, and stick to bottled water.

I was welcomed with a complementary glass of bubbly and a peculiar appetiser - a small square of quiche served on a weirdly shaped spoon. Then it was time to choose from the menu - no set dinners here! In general the food on offer seemed to be locally-sourced, adventurous, and of a high calibre.

For my starter I went for smoked duck breast, wafers of vivid beet red meat ringed with white. For those whose solitary experience of duck is crispy meat filling Chinese pancakes, this was the real deal. The meat was smokey and slightly salty, tender enough that you could simply fold a piece on to your tongue and then suck it. It came with little cherry tomatoes, hollowed out and filled with some liquid cheese thing. They were nice, but I think the sweet explosion of whole cherry tomatoes would actually have offset the smoked duck better. Still - what do I know? These guys were obvious experts, as evidenced by the care that seemed to go into all aspects of the presentation. As an example, the bread basket was quite exemplary, with something for everyone - three pieces of white bread, a piece of black bread, a small brioche roll, and two slices of a sweetish sticky bread topped with something black. I asked the waiter, and apparently it was zucchini / courgette, and the bread is known as 'scaccha'.

My secondi was Sienese hand-rolled pasta (pici - like a thicker, chewier spagghetti) with lamb ragu - plenty of mince in the sauce, which was good. And then the main course. I had gone adventurous here and plumped for pigeon. Now I had never had pigeon before, though I had intended to try it in Egypt. It has come a bit more into vogue in the UK since then, with celebrity chefs raising the profile of game and 'home-grown' ingredients on TV, though the reputation of pigeons as dirty 'rats with wings' still tends to persist. However, I have now tried it, and I can say... I'm a fan of pigeon. The meat was darker than chicken, and almost nutty to the taste. It came served with mash and a red wine reduction. This latter was actually quite like a thick mulled wine - hot, plummy and damson in colour, with that alcoholic bite upon the tongue. In fact, I would say that this particular course was the best I had in Siena!

As I say, all in all Antica Osteria da Divo is not cheap - three courses and two bottles of water came to €42.50, so over £30. However, the food really is top notch, the service is high class and attentive (but not over-bearingly so), and the location is quite remarkable. If you want a memorable meal out in Siena, this has to be the place. If the ancient Etruscans had enjoyed the food here for their last meal, they must have died happy!
From journals Sainted Siena