Butterfly

A glass-enclosed veranda opens onto the lawn in summer and frames the garden greenery in winter, making the season part of the meal at this Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant outside Lucca. The kitchen runs as a father-and-son operation, balancing old-school comfort with the kind of imaginative plating that keeps things from feeling reverential. The family's warmth carries through to the floor, where service is polished without being stiff.

One honor, in evidence: