Dario Cecchini: Butcher of Chianti

How to Complete

4 steps to experience this fully

1. ⛰️ 1

   Find the Butcher Shop First

   adventure Free

   Antica Macelleria Cecchini has been here since Dario's ancestors.

   Walk into the butcher shop (free entry) before your restaurant reservation. It's small but packed with character. Look for the Dante bust and the poetry on the walls. Dario (or his team) will likely be there, and they're happy to chat. Sample the 'chianti beef' prosciutto at the counter.

   🍷 Log Memory
2. ⛰️ 2

   Experience Officina della Bistecca

   adventure $$

   The 6-course meat feast cooked on an open grill in front of you.

   At your reservation time, you'll be seated at a long communal table facing the open grill. The €50 fixed menu includes: various cuts of grilled beef (each explained), Tuscan beans, vegetables, bread, and unlimited Chianti. The 'sushi' course (raw beef with herbs) is legendary. Dario or his team will explain each cut as it comes off the fire.

   🍷 Log Memory
3. 📜 3

   Catch a Dante Recitation

   Optional

   history Free

   Dario famously recites passages from Dante's Divine Comedy while working.

   Dario is known for spontaneously reciting Dante while carving meat. It doesn't happen every service, but if you hear Italian verse booming across the room, that's him. Don't interrupt—just enjoy the show. He speaks passable English and loves talking to international visitors about his philosophy of meat.

   🍷 Log Memory
4. ⛰️ 4

   Buy the Burro for the Road

   Optional

   adventure $

   Dario's "burro" (beef butter) is legendary for cooking.

   Before leaving, visit the shop and buy a jar of 'burro' (€10-15)—it's rendered beef fat that's phenomenal for cooking. They also sell chianti beef prosciutto that's unique to this shop. Everything is vacuum-sealed for travel.

   🍷 Log Memory