All'Olivo

All'Olivo occupies a small dining room and a beautiful walled courtyard at Piazza San Quirico 1 — one of the quieter, less-touristed small squares inside Lucca's walls, just off Via San Paolino in the western quarter of the historic centre.

The cooking is Modern Tuscan with a strong fish register — the chef-owners source daily from the Viareggio fish market on the nearby coast, and the seafood programme (raw crudo, grilled bream, baccalà, cuttlefish ink risotto) is the menu's strong suit. The land-side menu runs through the proper Lucchese classics — farro, beans, Garfagnana chestnut in season — handled with restraint.

The format is à la carte with a handful of daily specials and an excellent four-course set menu (around €55) that is the value play. The wine list is a focused Italian programme with strong Tuscan and Friuli representation; the by-the-glass selection is honest and the house wine is genuinely drinkable.

The dining is split between an intimate indoor room (around twenty-five covers) and the courtyard for warm-weather service (another twenty-five). Service is informal, warm and unhurried. Closed Sunday; book a week ahead for Friday or Saturday.

All'Olivo is the Lucca first-date booking the locals make when they want the Piazza Anfiteatro effect without the Piazza Anfiteatro tourist crush — Piazza San Quirico is one of the small, quiet, beautiful squares inside the walls that visitors rarely find, the courtyard dining is genuinely lovely in summer, and the kitchen takes its sourcing seriously without making a performance of it.