Trequanda: Vegan Bucketlist Town

This might seem presumptuous, but I feel confident in saying that Trequanda is exactly what every vegan is looking for when they visit Tuscany. This sleepy hill town has an authentic charm, friendly natives, beautiful streets, arches and architecture and breathtaking views.

The best part? The unbelievably delicious, and plentiful vegan food. My husband and I stumbled upon this random and beautiful village on our drive from Siena to Montepulciano on our recent trip to Italy. With low expectations, I opened my Happy Cow app to see what was around us.

Much to my surprise there was a little green dot not too far off of the main route we were taking to our agriturismo. I was hesitant to believe that there was a fully vegan restaurant in the middle of the Tuscan countryside, but we obviously had to investigate and I am so thrilled that we did. We spent eighteen days in Italy, and the food we found in Trequanda remains the best food that

we've ever had in our entire lives. We parked right outside the town near the post office, and walked straight to Ciriera Osteria Cafe. The restaurant, not unlike the town, was virtually empty (not surprising for lunchtime on a weekday). We choose a seat outside, and a very sweet woman brought us menus.

It was completely unclear if the restaurant was in fact fully vegan, as it wasn't mentioned on the menu at all, but when I asked our waitress (the owner and chef!), her eyes lit up. She informed us that everything was vegan and then asked if we were vegan as well! It was very clear that they were very happy to meet other vegans, and we felt very welcomed. We chatted about veganism and she recommended their housemade Pici and then we ordered.

We tried two different pastas, two different salads and two different

desserts. I can't stress this enough: it is the best food that we've ever had. Not only the best vegan food we've ever had. The best food we've ever had. Period. Everything (and I mean everything) tasted fresh and simply delicious. The menu was large with an assortment of different pastas, salads, and desserts. Inside there are several different muffins, cookies and pies to go!

We ended up visiting the restaurant twice during our stay in Tuscany and we were fortunate enough to speak with both owners: husband and wife and hear their stories. They had owned the restaurant prior to going vegan, and after they went vegan they decided that they couldn't serve animal products in their restaurant any longer. Can you imagine the risk of converting your traditional Italian restaurant to a fully vegan restaurant in a tiny tuscan town?

They made the switch five years ago and slowly vegans from around the world have begun to discover their restaurant and the fantastic little town. I can't recommend the restaurant enough. It is completely worth driving out of your way to visit, not only to support a vegan family but also because I can confidently say that it'll be a very memorable experience. While you're there, don't forget to explore the town on foot! There is supposedly a pizzeria in town that sells several flavors of vegan gelato as well!