Meet Dario Cecchini – Italy’s Most Famous Butcher
Panzano in Chianti is one of our favorite spots to visit in Tuscany, this gorgeous idyllic stone town is located on the scenic Via Chiantigiana. It is halfway between Florence and Siena and this is where you will find the extraordinary Tuscan character Dario Cecchini, the most famous butcher in Italy.
His little shop is packed with locals and tourists from all over the world eating and drinking the delicious free food on offer, and if you are lucky you will hear him quoting Dante or singing in his booming voice whilst he prepares his unusual cuts of grass-fed beef.
Dario has four restaurants in Panzano all within a few steps of each other. His first restaurant, Solo Ciccia (only meat), features a six-course fixed menu focusing on you guessed it, grass-fed beef. Directly across from Solo Ciccia is his butcher shop, Antica Macelleria Cecchini (antique butchery).
To reach his other two restaurants, head through the back door of his shop, walk up a flight of stairs, and you will find yourself into a beautiful dining hall and on the outside terrace is MacDario (our favorite place to eat in the Chianti), which turns into Officina della Bistecca (factory of the steak), on Friday and Saturday nights and for Sunday lunch.
So for an experience like no other, when in Tuscany make sure you visit Panzano and taste some of Dario’s authentic Tuscan creations. If you are planning a wedding with us, we organize private tours around the Chianti wineries and lunch at one of Dario’s restaurants, for more information email info@weddingsintuscany.info.
View the menu’s for each restaurant on the Antica Macelleria Cecchini site here.