Osteria Melafumo in Livorno is a particular place, where you can eat well and be in good company. Suitable for nostalgics but also for those who love good company and good food, low cost.
Every time I go to eat a Livorno some anecdote happens which makes everything an experience. In fact, it is not just about eating well, fresh fish and cooked as God commands. In reality, it is a question of bumping into the Leghorns, in their somewhat brash and outspoken way of relating to others, all seasoned with sympathy and an irresistible speech. On this occasion I tried a place where to live a very special experience: theOsteria Melafumo.
Livorno: why visit it
You can choose to go to Livorno just to eat fish, the cacciucco if you like, but also simpler and less demanding dishes for digestion. But you can also go there because it is by the sea, because you have to embark for Corsica. Or to visit the Tuscan city less known to tourists but with some respectable attractions: Terrazza Mascagni, the Aquarium, Villa Mimbelli with the Giovanni Fattor Civic Museumie all the major Macchiaioli paintings.
Osteria Melafumo of Livorno
The last time I had my experience in Livorno, this was truly worthy of being told: in fact, I went to lunch at theOsteria Melafumo. Well, the name is already a program. The restaurant is in via Mentana, a stone's throw from Piazza XX Settembre where the famous American market was once located (which has now been transferred to the port).
You will be struck by the straw chairs on the street and the numerous stickers attached to the glass with the votes and recommendations of the guides and Tripadvisor on them.
A lively atmosphere
But when you enter you will literally be amazed. How can we define Osteria Melafumo? A den of nostalgic Communists? A restaurant faithful to the line? The city has always been far left, politically speaking. The red flags hanging on the wall with Che Guevara and Berlinguer, the yellow paper placemats adorned with hammer and sickle, the red T-shirts of the waiters make unique a place that otherwise would seem the anonymous room of a Casa del Popolo: so instead there is an atmosphere to sell. The irreverent sympathy of the people of Livorno, both those who manage the restaurant and those who eat there, do the rest.
Osteria Melafumo in Livorno: the menu
So it is essential to enter this restaurant leaving prejudice and arrogance out the door. Let yourself go, get ready to enjoy delicious dishes. At Melafumo the menu is written on the blackboard and you choose from there, knowing immediately where you are going to fall in terms of costs - but the prices are fair for the quality of the food.
I ate a trio of appetizers, one better than the other: stewed snails, peppered with mussels, fried cod, simply divine. Followed by an amazing mixed grill with fish of the day, shellfish, swordfish and salmon steaks, good and well cooked fish fillets. House wine, white and sparkling, of what goes down without you noticing.
Also desserts are homemade, the choice is limited but the quality is excellent. The glasses are typical of a tavern, the dishes are different from each other, the service is informal but efficient.
If you are lucky it may happen, like me, that some guests who have raised their elbows a little come to the table, talk and talk to them, with skits that only happen in these parts. In short, when we say the "experiential" tourism we are talking about this and since it is the trend of the moment, you cannot miss it.
