Spirito Divino

Forget about this one. THE place is L’Alchemista on the piazza. The food is sensational and in spring/​summer the ambiance matches the food. You know you are in Italy. The dishes were inspired and not run of the mill Italian fare. The mother cooks, the father runs the place and the daughters are servers. Go down to the kitchen and the smells will seal your fate.

Spirito diVino has got to be one of my most favorite dining destinations in Italy. Why? Because they’ve got a ridiculously solid wine list (boasting hyper-​local and natural wines), and their simple farm-​to-​table cuisine is rustic yet luxurious. Aside from the copious amounts of Paolo Bea’s wine, it was one pasta dish that particularly blew me away: Handmade pasta with a light truffle cream sauce, generously covered in fresh white truffle shavings.
Need I say more? Had the meal ended right then and there, I would have been happy as a clam. My error was in thinking that this needed to be a multi-​course affair. Once my (still delicious) pork tenderloin came out with a mélange of sweet peppers, I began to fade into the depths of too much food & too much wine sleepiness. My couple of bites of the boy’s eggplant dish was cheesy, comforting goodness which also didn’t help in aiding my looming exhaustion from the day’s wandering.
Luckily, dessert helped put the pep back into my spirit. A clever dessert of sorbets and gelato utilizing the shells & bodies of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts that lend them their flavors was an almost meta dessert experience. Walnut ice cream made with the walnut meat and then shoved back into the shell, a sweet green bell pepper turned into sorbet and scooped back into it’s body… flavors I wouldn’t have dared to consider as a sweet end to a meal. And on top of that, a small tiramisu because I’m just a sucker for those it seems.
Overall, this intimate meal was a memorable one. And while the prices weren’t as economical as other places we visited on this trip, it surely didn’t break the bank and was worth every penny. Be sure to make advanced reservations, and be patient with the service. Our lovely hostess was also the only waitress of the evening, but with that wine list, who can really complain? [see photos]

Rather swanky and decorated in an more urban style than the usual restaurants. The outdoor tables, on a little piazza, are nice enough, but the bill may come as a shock.
I would recommend L’Alchemista in the main piazza instead.