LUCCHESIA: The Place - Mescita Lotti restaurant. The recently added indoor dinning room in the Mescita Lotti restaurant, in the hills near Lucca, is still my favorite place to eat in Lucchesia. I love the understated fresh home cooking. The owner, Emanuela Tambellini says, “Simple things are the most refined.”
Mescita Lotti is on the road to Sant'Alessio, near Lucca (+39 0583 342077).
The Place. A little store with books, food and antiques is set up in the new indoor dinning room.
The Food. A salad of chunky avocado, tomato and mozzarella is mixed with delicate cous cous.
The Food. Tuna mouse topped with a cool beef gelatin and tomatoes. The boiled potatoes with parsley are drizzled with the best Tuscan extra virgin olive oil.
The Food. The softest, mouth-watering apple cake is accompanied by traditional home-made vanilla ice-cream and a strawberry for color.
The People. Gino spends his afternoons playing card games in the garden.
The People. Owner, Emanuela Tambellini clears the garden when her guests depart. The Tambellini family has been running the wine bar, restaurant, and tobacconist since 1870.