Sosta dei Diavoli

Top choice in Northwestern Tuscany


It might seem to be just another humble, family-run cafe-bar in rural Tuscany, but the Devils' Stop is wickedly good. Come 7.30pm, owner Lorenzo Giuliani dons his chef's apron to cook up a small but sensational choice of antipasti and pasta primi: his local pecorino cheese with fresh pea-green broad beans and a pot of Lunigiana honey is simple, but oh so good.

The 'devils', should you be wondering, were local charcoal burners who, faces black with soot after a hard day's graft making and transporting charcoal, would drop into the veteran bar for a wee nip. Find Sosta dei Diavoli at the bottom of the hill from Barga, 4km north in riverside Ponte di Catagnana.