Where to eat in Pisa: cecina, Pisan lampredotto and university trattorias

Pisa: much more than the Tower, at the table too

Pisa is a city tourists hurry through -- time for a photo at the Tower and off they go. But those who linger discover a lively gastronomic scene, shaped by the university and the seafaring tradition. Pisan cuisine is Tuscan but with an identity all its own: cecina (chickpea flatbread) is a cult, bordatino is a soup that exists nowhere else, and the trattorias along the Lungarni serve dishes Pisans have eaten for generations.

The food neighbourhoods

Borgo Stretto and the centre

Borgo Stretto, with its medieval arcades, is the street for shopping and aperitivo. The side lanes hide trattorias and osterias frequented by university students and Pisan families. This is the area where gastronomic life is most concentrated.

San Martino and the Lungarno

The San Martino quarter, on the south bank of the Arno, is Pisa's most authentic: quiet lanes, grocery shops, unpretentious trattorias. Restaurants along Lungarno Gambacorti offer dinners with views of the colourful facades reflected in the river.

Santa Maria and Piazza dei Miracoli

The area around the Tower and the Duomo is the most touristy and, gastronomically, the least interesting. Restaurants here are often traps with set menus at inflated prices. Five minutes on foot takes you to far better places.

The university quarter

The area around Piazza dei Cavalieri and the Scuola Normale is packed with student-oriented venues: low prices, generous portions, informal atmosphere. This is where you find the best cecina and the most generous panini.

Must-try dishes

Cecina

Cecina (or torta di ceci) is Pisa's number-one street food: a thin flatbread of chickpea flour, water, oil and salt, baked in a wood-fired oven until crispy outside and soft inside. Eaten on its own, cut into wedges, or inside a bread roll (the classic "cinque e cinque" -- five cents' worth of cecina and five of bread, at old-time prices). The cecinerie in the centre bake it all day.

Bordatino

Bordatino is a dense soup of cornmeal, black kale and beans, typical of the Pisan farming tradition. A winter dish, hearty and nourishing, served at centre trattorias with a drizzle of new-season oil.

Baccalà alla pisana

Salt cod cooked with tomato, garlic and parsley is a Lenten tradition still much loved in Pisan trattorias. The best versions use quality cod, soaked for days.

Torta co' bischeri

Pisa's signature dessert: a shortcrust tart with a filling of rice cooked in milk, chocolate, pine nuts, raisins and candied fruit. The name comes from the "bischeri", the decorative points on the edge. Found at artisan pastry shops and bakeries.

Mucco and tripe

The quinto quarto tradition is alive in Pisa: lampredotto (boiled veal stomach), trippa alla pisana and mucco (boiled meat with salsa verde) can be found at street carts and the most traditional trattorias.

Markets and food shops

The Mercato delle Vettovaglie in the square of the same name is Pisa's historic covered market: fruit, vegetable, cheese and cured-meat stalls plus a deli section where you can eat at the counter. On Saturday mornings it fills with Pisans. The shops on Via San Martino sell oil from the Pisan hills, Chianti wine and Tuscan pecorino.

Budget tips

Cecina at bakeries costs 2-3 euros per portion, cinque e cinque 3-4 euros
University-quarter trattorias serve full lunches for 8-12 euros
Aperitivo with buffet at Borgo Stretto bars costs 5-7 euros
The Vettovaglie market offers counter lunches at student prices
Pizza al taglio in the centre is excellent at 2-4 euros per portion
Avoid any restaurant within 200 metres of the Tower: prices double and quality halves
Pisa is small and flat: you can walk or cycle everywhere, saving on transport

Where to stay and what to see

To plan your trip, also read where to stay in Pisa for accommodation in the centre and near the station, what to see in Pisa in 2 days for an itinerary beyond the Tower, and how to get to Pisa for Galilei airport, train and Tuscany transport links.