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Tuscan osteria annexed to a lovely hotel. The locals give Boris and Beatrice carte blanche when they order, specifying only a small, average or large meal.

With the “Offerta Famiglie” for groups of two adults and one child under 12, the child travels free, although extra services, such as sleeping cars, cost the regular price.

Simple, soulful southern Tuscan cooking al fresco . Try the pici with garlicky tomatoes or the roast suckling pig.

High in the breeze-kissed hills above Florence, this is the Florentines’ favourite escape for long lunches on the outdoor linden pergola-shaded terrace. In cold weather, head inside the wood-beamed dining room for well-prepared regional specialities.

Simple Pisan home cooking at the outdoor market, with tables scattered round a medieval column. The menu is packed with Pisan favourites like baccalá (salt cod) and brachetti alla renaiola , an ancient recipe of pasta squares in puréed turnip greens and smoked fish .

The column in the dining room belonged to a medieval church; the Pisan recipes are just as ancient.

Now under new management, this bastion of the Siena restaurant scene has changed its focus to fish.

Masaccio’s Trinità is the first painting to use mathematical single point perspective (1428). The triangular composition draws lines from the kneeling donors through the halos of Mary and St John to God the Father.

Florence makes tripe tolerable by dicing it up and stewing it with tomatoes, sage and parmigiano cheese. You will also find carts that serve tripe sandwiches.

It saves money, makes for a fun outing, lets the children eat what they want, and gives them a break from all those restaurants where they have to be on their best behaviour.