Trattoria da Beppino, Pienza

Trattoria da Beppino is a family-run restaurant in Pienza, the small Renaissance town in the Val d'Orcia in the province of Siena that is famous as the City of Cheese for its celebrated Pecorino di Pienza. Set on Via Condotti in the historic centre, the trattoria specialises in the traditional cooking of the Val d'Orcia, and as one would expect in Pienza it makes a particular feature of the local Pecorino, the sheep's-milk cheese that comes in fresh, semi-aged and aged forms and appears across the menu, from tasting boards served with honey and jams to dishes in which the cheese is melted or grated over pasta. The signature dishes include pici all'aglione, the thick hand-rolled Sienese pasta dressed with a robust garlic-and-tomato sauce, and Pecorino tasting plates that showcase the cheese at different stages of maturity, alongside lamb cooked with herbs, Tuscan soups, grilled meats and seasonal vegetables. The atmosphere is that of a genuine country-town trattoria, friendly and unpretentious, with the warm service typical of a family-run kitchen, and it suits a relaxed lunch while touring the Val d'Orcia or a dinner before or after a stay in the area. The wine list draws on the surrounding region, including the nearby Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and the reds of the Orcia and Montalcino zones, a good match for the hearty cooking. Prices are moderate, in keeping with a regional trattoria, and portions are generous. Da Beppino opens for lunch and dinner most days, and reservations are recommended given Pienza's popularity with visitors drawn to its UNESCO-listed Renaissance townscape and the surrounding rolling countryside. For travellers exploring the Val d'Orcia, the trattoria offers an authentic taste of the area's food, with the local Pecorino as the natural star, in the very town that gave the cheese its name. A meal here, finished with a board of aged Pecorino and honey, captures the character of one of Tuscany's most photographed and gastronomically distinctive corners.