Seasonal cooking at Locanda al Colle

At Locanda al Colle dinner is not chosen from a menu card: the house chef decides it each day, following the season and what the Versilia coast, the Camaiore hills and the valleys of the Apuan Alps have to offer. This experience combines four nights in the 1760 farmhouse above Capezzano Pianore with two of his dinners, served only to guests of the house in a quiet, almost domestic setting.

The menu changes every evening; what follows is an example of how the table moves through the two periods of the stay.

In spring the first greens arrive: fresh broad beans with pecorino, asparagus and wild herbs in risottos and frittatas, Versilian tordelli with meat ragù, lamb with new potatoes; for dessert the torta di riso, the traditional Versilian rice cake, or the first strawberries.

In autumn the kitchen turns to the mountains: zuppa frantoiana with new-season olive oil, Garfagnana spelt, porcini mushrooms, polenta and game from the Apuan Alps; to finish, castagnaccio with rosemary and pine nuts or pears poached in wine.

Dinners are two courses and dessert, with water and coffee; wines, local and otherwise, are chosen separately with the staff. Guests staying on a Wednesday can also book the chef's cooking class, with handmade pasta.