A Taste of Tuscany: Seasonal Flavors from Farm to Table at Osteria della Lodola
There are few experiences more genuine than dining on ingredients pulled straight from the earth. At Osteria della Lodola, that immediacy is not a concept but a certainty. Set within the rolling countryside of Val di Chiana, this is not simply a restaurant on a farm, but a restaurant of the farm. The gardens lie just beyond the kitchen, close enough to shape the menu each day, their seasonal rhythms quietly deciding what arrives on the plate. Everything here feels anchored to place, guided by a family whose connection to the land runs as deep as the Tuscan soil itself.
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Entrance of Osteria della Lodola (photo from website) |
The vegetable gardens flow naturally into the dining spaces, offering a living preview of what inspires Chef Carlo Porcu. He cooks with what is ripe and ready, composing dishes that feel both instinctive and precise. Much of what leaves the kitchen—bread, pasta made from Senatore Cappelli wheat, vegetables, preserves—is organic and grown just steps away. What cannot be produced on the farm comes from trusted local artisans, chosen not for convenience but for shared values: respect for raw materials, patience, and integrity of flavor.
Born in 1978, Carlo is half Tuscan and half Sardinian, and his cuisine reflects that dual identity. Early in his career, he cooked for the noble Budini Gattai family before spending formative years at sea, working aboard historic sailboats such as the Parsifal and Zaca. Those years taught him discipline, balance, and restraint, lessons that still guide his cooking today, where nothing feels excessive and every element earns its place.
In December 2014, Carlo opened l’Osteria della Lodola in Marciano della Chiana, transforming a former 1920s tile factory into a contemporary countryside restaurant. The interiors were shaped with the help of his brother Paolo, an architect, and designer Silvia Pavanello, resulting in spaces that echo the same harmony found on the plate. Even in meat-loving Tuscany, vegetables remain central to the menu. When meat appears, it is carefully chosen, such as organic Piedmontese Fassona beef from Sinalunga, personally butchered and used in its entirety.
La Lodola is, above all, a family story. Its roots lie in an eighteenth-century farmhouse where Beatrice and Mario raised their three children, each of whom followed a creative path: Carlo in the kitchen, Paolo in architecture and design, Anna in antiques. Today, the renovated farmhouse, Villa La Lodola, welcomes travelers with elegant rooms seeking a quieter Tuscany. Mario continues to tend the gardens with devotion, while Carlo’s wife, Manuela, ensures every guest feels genuinely at home, often greeted by the gentle presence of their chocolate Labradors. Hospitality here feels natural, never rehearsed.
In 2013, the family added a processing laboratory to preserve and extend the farm’s harvest while remaining faithful to the principles of a circular economy. Nothing is taken without intention, and nothing is transformed without care. The kitchen exists in constant dialogue with the land, guided by what the season allows rather than what trends demand.
The Menu and the Table
A meal at Osteria della Lodola begins simply. Perhaps with a vegetable antipasto or a potato and leek soup that tastes as though it has been distilled directly from the garden. Signature dishes follow the same seasonal logic: spaghetti of Senatore Cappelli with fermented aglione, a rabbit porchetta that elevates restraint, or a basil risotto softened by aromatic De Magi cheese. Desserts may come warm from the oven, a meringue or tarte Tatin made with the farm’s apples, or fresh fruit at perfect ripeness, proof that simplicity often says the most.
The menu changes with the garden and is handwritten on a blackboard, with dishes typically priced between €11 and €28. The wine list leans distinctly Tuscan, selected not for prestige but for balance, quality, and value. Each bottle is chosen to support the meal, never to compete with it.
La Lodola
Address: Strada Provinciale dell’Esse 1, 52047 - Marciano della Chiana (AR), Italy
Tel: +39 333 4693388
Website: https://www.osteriadellalodola.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/osterialalodola/
