Il Quartino Frescobaldi

Picture an evening dinner with a glass of wine and a platter of cured meats at a bistrot surrounded by vineyards.

Along the road connecting Pontassieve to Consuma, in the Tuscan hills, sits wine bar Il Quartino Frescobaldi, an elegant bistrot combining rustic charm with a welcoming atmosphere, pairing locally sourced ingredients with Tuscan culinary tradition.

Surrounded by greenery and the vineyards of Chianti Rufina, Il Quartino Frescobaldi welcomes couples, families and groups of friends to a spacious outdoor terrace, ideal for al fresco dining on warm summer evenings. You can also take in the view from the veranda and the indoor dining room through wide picture windows overlooking the vines. The rolling hills, dotted with olive groves and vineyards, look like a painting and frame the meal beautifully.

The kitchen at Il Quartino serves simple yet refined dishes celebrating regional produce, blending creativity and tradition while bringing out authentic local flavours. These include Laudemio, an exceptional extra virgin olive oil whose name dates back to the Middle Ages, when it designated the finest part of the harvest reserved for the lord of the estate, and which still embodies outstanding quality today.

Menu highlights include burgers made with beef reared directly by the Frescobaldi family, such as the Rigatino with a beef patty, rigatino, tomato, sautéed leeks, salad, pecorino, house-made mayonnaise and wholemeal bread. There are also crostoni such as the Tunn’hai il fegato, with rustic bread toasted in lard, chicken liver pâté and caramelised red onions, alongside traditional platters of cured meats and cheeses such as the Toscanaccio, featuring 12-month prosciutto crudo Toscano DOP, finocchiona, salamino stagionato, soprassata and pickled vegetables.

Vegetarian options are well represented, from Al contadin non far sapere, featuring a faux tomato of pappa, basil, herb breadcrumbs and stracchino foam from Mugello, to the Vegetariano burger served in a green spinach bun with a chickpea patty, fresh baby spinach, apple mayonnaise, carrots and mature cheese.

Among the dishes playfully named in Tuscan dialect, don’t miss Mordi e funghi, a pasta course of Tirrena caserecce with white pork ragù, mushrooms and wild thyme; Che carpaccio dici, peppered beef carpaccio with vino cotto, ricotta and hazelnuts; or La Battuta ahahah, a tartare of semi-wild beef from Castello di Nipozzano with tomatoes, capers, mustard, anchovies and onion—all paired with fine Frescobaldi wines.