Osteria nella Pia'

Northwestern Tuscany

LoginSave

It's worth getting lost in Colonnata's tangle of narrow lanes to find this family-run osteria, a local favourite for tasty lardo platters and imaginative pasta dishes. The penne con lardo e pesto d'ortica (penne with lardo and nettle pesto) is nothing short of superb. Kudos for the shaded summertime terrace wedged between old stone village houses and the hulk of marble mountain beyond.

Opening hours vary with the season and day's weather forecast; call ahead to check it's open and reserve a table.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • The last of the three major buildings on the piazza to be built, construction of the bell tower began in 1173 and took place in three stages over the course of 177 years, with the bell-chamber only added in 1372. Five years after construction began, when the building had reached the third floor level, the weak subsoil and poor foundation led to the building sinking on its south side 1264707656

    Leaning Tower

    27.79 MILES

    One of Italy's signature sights, the Torre Pendente truly lives up to its name, leaning a startling 3.9 degrees off the vertical. The 58m-high tower,…

  • Leaning tower of Pisa, Italy Piazza del Duomo ; Shutterstock ID 456166966; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

    Duomo

    27.75 MILES

    Pisa's magnificent duomo was begun in 1064 and consecrated in 1118. Its striking tiered exterior, with green-and-cream marble cladding, gives onto a…

  • Cattedrale di San Martino

    Cattedrale di San Martino

    24.32 MILES

    Lucca's predominantly Romanesque cathedral dates from the 11th century. Its stunning facade was constructed in the prevailing Lucca-Pisan style and…

  • battistero duomo & leaning tower of pisa tuscany italy

    Battistero

    27.71 MILES

    Pisa's unusual round baptistry has one dome piled on top of another, each roofed half in lead, half in tiles, and topped by a gilt bronze John the Baptist…

  • Grotta di Lord Byron in Portovenere on the Ligurian coast.

    Grotta di Byron

    16.24 MILES

    At the end of the quay, a Cinque Terre panorama unfolds from the rocky terraces of a cave formerly known as Grotta Arpaia. Lord Byron once swam across the…

  • City Wall

    City Wall

    23.92 MILES

    Lucca’s monumental mura (wall) was built around the old city in the 16th and 17th centuries and remains in almost perfect condition. It superseded two…

  • Palazzo Pfanner

    Palazzo Pfanner

    23.99 MILES

    Fire the romantic in you with a stroll around this beautiful 17th-century palace where parts of Portrait of a Lady (1996), starring Nicole Kidman and John…

  • Torre Guinigi

    Torre Guinigi

    24.23 MILES

    The bird's-eye view from the top of this medieval, 45m-tall red-brick tower adjoining 14th-century Palazzo Guinigi is predictably magnificent. But what…

View more attractions

Nearby Northwestern Tuscany attractions

1. Cava di Fantiscritti

1.05 MILES

Head up the mountain to this dusty, truck-busy cava de marmo (marble quarry), through a dramatic series of tunnels used by trains to transport marble from…

2. Cava Museo

1.05 MILES

To learn how the Romans worked with marble, visit this surprisingly informative, open-air museum adjoining the souvenir shop across from the quarry…

4. Museo Civico del Marmo

4.24 MILES

Opposite the tourist office, Carrara's Marble Museum tells the full story of the marble quarries outside town, from the old chisel-and-hammer days to the…

5. Chiesa della Misericordia

9.53 MILES

Tucked between shops on Via Mazzini is this precious chapel, frescoed with the Gate of Paradise and Gate of Hell by Fernando Botero (b 1932). Spot the…

6. Via della Rocca

9.63 MILES

Next to Chiesa di Sant'Agostino, a steep path known as Via della Rocca leads up to the remnants of Pietrasanta's ancient fortifications. The crenellated…

7. Chiesa di Sant'Agostino

9.65 MILES

The far end of Piazza del Duomo is dominated by the 13th-century stone hulk of this deconsecrated church. Once dedicated to St Augustine, today the…

8. Museo dei Bozzetti

9.66 MILES

Inside the convent adjoining Chiesa di Sant'Agostino, this small museum explores the evolution of modern sculpture through 700-odd bozzetti (maquettes or…