The only Inn with a hole in the sock ...
And that doesn't hide it!
An acoustic, no-frills, express, local product-based cuisine (with local producers)







The only Osteria with
a hole in its sock...
And that doesn't hide it!
Acoustic, no-frills, express cuisine made from local products (and producers).







the Mecenate
The Mecenate will turn 25 in 2021.
A quarter of a century like a quart of wine, an adventure that started in the countryside, in Gattaiola near Lucca, in October 1996 and landed in the city, in the so called Ditches area, in May 2012.
25 years of cooking and tasting, of ‘tordelli’(the local tortelli) and good wine, of uphill roads and downhill rolls, of love for the terroire and conviviality. A story made of people and souls, of poetry and songs, shepherds and market stalls, of friends who produce wine and farmers, of fishermen who cast their nets in a responsible way and then bring us their fish. A story we like to tell
The Mecenate will turn 25 in 2021.
A quarter of a century like a quart of wine, an adventure that started in the countryside, in Gattaiola near Lucca, in October 1996 and landed in the city, in the so called Ditches area, in May 2012.
25 years of cooking and tasting, of ‘tordelli’(the local tortelli) and good wine, of uphill roads and downhill rolls, of love for the terroire and conviviality. A story made of people and souls, of poetry and songs, shepherds and market stalls, of friends who produce wine and farmers, of fishermen who cast their nets in a responsible way and then bring us their fish. A story we like to tell
the Cook
Sole: “Call me cook…not chef” For 25 years she has been passionately directing the kitchen of the Mecenate, proposing an acoustic cuisine, made of natural and local sounds, simple, direct, a cuisine that makes hearts and palates vibrate. A cuisine where the many small producers of the area participate in creating the culinary experience, in a virtuous network of carefully selected and exellent food.
The dishes that come out of Sole’s kitchen are the perfect synthesis between her personality, the territory, the style and the story of Mecenate. A faithful transcription of the gastronomy of the territory, which does not however disregard the human factor, made of personal life, the experiences of a lifetime, the music listened to, friendship, the wines drunk and the unforgettable evenings passed at the Mecenate.
and the Innkeeper
Stefano, the Innkeeper. Like his grandfather Guido, who had a trattoria in Corso Garibaldi, and who, as a regular clientele, had the “happy little women” of the brothels of the nearby Via della Dogana and their customers.
Like his father Pietrino, who for a while, as a young man, worked as a cook in the trattoria … but when his wife, Etta, discovered the story of the “happy little women” he then had to change and began to work as a biscuit salesman. Perhaps Stefano’s job as a “innkeeper” is in his blood, or in his DNA and for this reason, every day, he starts again with joy … to be an innkeeper!
Stefano, the Innkeeper. Like his grandfather Guido, who had a trattoria in Corso Garibaldi, and who, as a regular clientele, had the “happy little women” of the brothels of the nearby Via della Dogana and their customers.
Like his father Pietrino, who for a while, as a young man, worked as a cook in the trattoria … but when his wife, Etta, discovered the story of the “happy little women” he then had to change and began to work as a biscuit salesman. Perhaps Stefano’s job as a “innkeeper” is in his blood, or in his DNA and for this reason, every day, he starts again with joy … to be an innkeeper!
The Mecenate's menù
Here is our Menu, made up of traditional and local dishes, our breads and pastas, to be enjoyed at the tables inside and in summer on the summer veranda on the beautiful St. Francis Square.
A Menu that varies with the seasons.
What never changes is our passion and acoustic cooking style.
Focaccia calda e lardo
Warm focaccia with lard
Salumi artigianali con pane alle olive di nostra produzione
Selection of local cured meats with homemade olive bread
La scarpaccia versiliese
Traditional Versilia savory pie with courgettes and chickpea flour (vegetarian)
Crostone di Marocca di Casola con zola e miele di spiaggia
€ 13,00
Chestnut bread toast with blue cheese and local honey (vegetarian)
Prosciutto di “Pizzuga” di Colle di Compito con crostini di fegatelli
€ 14,00
Local ham from “Pizzuga” with chicken liver crostini
Patè di fegato di maiale di cinta senese con pane di mais e burro di montagna
Cinta Senese pork liver pâté with corn bread and mountain butter
Il nostro manzo marinato
Marinated beef
Antipasto Misto del Mecenate
€ 15,00
Mixed starter platter of Mecenate (cheeses, cured meats, vegetable pies and focaccia)
Melanzane alla parmigiana
€ 13,00
Eggplant parmigiana with local cow cheese (vegetarian)
Tordelli casalinghi lucchesi
Home made Tordelli
La nostra Pappa al pomodoro con pomodoro canestrino lucchese
Traditional tomato and bread soup with local Canestrino tomatoes (vegetarian)
Tacconi casalinghi con pomodoro fresco, pecorino e pepolino
Homemade pasta with fresh local tomatoes, pecorino cheese and aromatic herbs (vegetarian)
I veri Testaroli di Pontremoli al pesto
Traditional Testaroli from Pontremoli with pesto (vegetarian)
Raviolo di ortica con burro di montagna e parmigiano reggiano
Nettle ravioli with local butter and Parmigiano Reggiano (vegetarian)
Riso al piccione
Organic Carnaroli rice with pigeon ragù
Le nostre tagliatelle al coniglio
Homemade tagliatelle with rabbit sauce
Grilled Sirloin Steak
Frittata di cipolle con insalata
Onion omelette with salad, made with organic eggs (vegetarian)
Coniglio nostrale arrosto (Azienda agricola Il Castello) con il fagioli cannellini di Lucca
Roast local rabbit and Lucca cannellini beans
Stinco di scottona con piselli di Moriano
€ 20.00
Veal knuckle with Moriano green peas
Fiori di zucca ripieni e fritti
Fried courgette flowers stuffed with minced beef
Grilled sliced sirloin with aromatic herbs (for two people)
Breaded and fried beef, then cooked with tomato and capers
Filetto di maiale in crosta con cipolline caramellate
Pork fillet in pastry crust with caramelized onions
La trippa dell’osteria
Traditional tripe stew
Cinque formaggi a latte crudo
Selection of five raw milk cheeses from local producers
Tutti i dolci sono di nostra produzione / All desserts are made by us
Latte alla portoghese
Crème Caramel
Pesche ripiene del Lorenzoni
Stuffed peaches, traditional homemade dessert
Torta di arancio e cioccolata
Orange and Chocolate Cake
Cheesecake con formaggio di Monica di Valgiano e ciliegie di Moriano
Cheesecake with Cherries
Fragole di Moriano con gelato alla crema
Strawberries with Vanilla Ice Cream
Pesche al vino
Peaches in red wine
Panna cotta con salsa di fragole di Moriano
Panna cotta with homemade Moriano strawberry sauce
Cialda con ricotta della pastora e miele biologico di Tiglio
Wafer with Sheep Ricotta and Organic Honey
Zuppetta di buccellato del Taddeucci con fragole di Moriano
Traditional Lucchese Trifle (Buccellato sponge cake soaked in liqueur with custard cream and strawberries)
Macedonia di frutta locale
Fresh local fruit salad with peaches, strawberries, apricots and cherries
Gelati (Gelateria Veneta) Crema, Cioccolata, Fragola, Limone, Pistacchio di Bronte.
Ice cream. Available flavors: Vanilla Cream, Chocolate, Strawberry, Lemon, Bronte Pistachio.
Of wine we like everything. The smell, the colors, the flavors, the bottles and labels. The land, the vines and the vineyards, so different from each other. And then we like to drink it, accompanied by something to eat, in company with friends and end up laughing and singing. Or even drink it alone, which makes you think. Or drinking it by candlelight in two and ending the night in two with the candle out. And then we like the people who make it. Our Charter is made up of the men and women, the faces and hearts of wine.
Discover our Charter, consisting of about 300 labels, with wines that can only be tasted by us and the winemakers who have excited us, with very small territory realities, the great internationals and wines “for amateurs,” such as those from Georgia or Portugal.
Book an Acoustic Cooking Experience
Reserve your table at Ristorante Mecenate
Please note that your reservation is considered confirmed when you receive a reply e-mail from us or a phone call

