Pet-friendly restaurants in our area of Mediavalle and Garfagnana are often sought out by friends and trekking partners. In such a beautiful area of walking country many like to take dogs to accompany them and, indeed, if trained properly, dogs can be invaluable in helping walkers in difficulty in often treacherous mountain paths.
There are no laws in Italy specifically banning dogs from entering restaurants; it’s very much up to the discretion of the proprietor and that’s where the problem starts. Some friends of ours, who have a very placid and intelligent dog, were welcome with her to a trattoria in the upper reaches of Palagnana only to be less than welcomed with the same animal a second time. There must be places which can assure customers a consistent welcome or their animals and, indeed, there are. On the web site www.ascadellavalle.it I have found a list of places where one can eat not only well but also be guaranteed a welcome for their pets too.
Here is a list of pet friendly places in the stretch of our Serchio valley from Bagni di Lucca to Piazza al Serchio. I should state that we do not have a dog and that we have not visited or eaten at all of them (the ones we have eaten at are underlined). I am, however, dividing them into (1) Pizzerie and (2) restaurants and trattorie that serve local delicacies:
Pizzerie:
| Pizzeria | Location | Tel |
| La Bionda | Gallicano | 0583 641355 |
| Trovaposo | Fornaci di Barga | 0583 757726 |
| Il Buongustaio | Piano di Coreglia | 0583 779346 |
| Es Vedra | Fornoli (Bagni di Lucca) | 339 491 9880 |
| Il Nido dell ‘Aquila | Gallicano | 0583 709999 |
Trattorie and restaurants
| Osteria / Trattoria / Restaurant | Location | Specialities | Tel |
| Il Rondone | Fornovolasco | Typical Garfagnana cuisine
|
0583 722018 |
| Il Pozzo | Pieve Fosciana | Homemade pasta, mushrooms and grilled meat | 0583 666380 |
| Giro di Boa | Barga | fish specialties and themed dinners | 347 003 0700 |
| La Pergola | Barga | fish dishes | 0583 1921681 |
| Davy’s Café | Camporgiano | land and sea dishes, themed nights | 0583 600465 |
| Al Ritrovo del Platano | Gallicano | grilled meat | 0583 689922 |
| L’Osteria | Barga | Local cuisine | 335 538 7113 |
| Quadrifoglio | Piano di Gioviano | spaghetti with seafood | 0583 833254 |
| Il Ristoro del Venturo | Castelnuovo di Garfagnana | steak (local) | 0583 65605 |
| La Bionda | Fornaci di Barga | typical cuisine, gluten-free, seafood menu | 0583 75624 |
| L’Altana | Barga | home cooking | 0583 723192 |
| Scacciaguai | Barga | truffle specialties | 0583 711368 |
| Da Sandra | Fabbriche di Vallico | homemade tordelli | 0583 761712 |
| Al Romanzo | Barga | steaks | 328 574 772 |
| Il Flamingo | Ponte all’Ania | grilled fish and meat specialties | 0583 730326 |
| Al Barchetto | Turrite Cava (Gallicano) | fish specialties | 0583 75495 |
| Robur Bar | Cardoso (Gallicano) | fish menu | 347 143 5758 |
| Elisa | Barga | Local specialities | 0583 572502 |
I am quite sure that our cats would enjoy the fayre at several of these eateries. Becoming ever more popular in the world are cat cafes where customers can release the day’s stress by drinking a cappuccino with a tabby cuddled on their lap. There are none of these around our area although there are several bars with friendly cats prowling around unofficially. There is, however, a web site at https://thefashionplatemag.com/how-to-shop-sustainably/milan/for-pet-lovers-cat-cafes-in-italy/ which lists some popular cat cafes in towns like Turin, Milan and Rome.
I have not found any places where such animals as crocodiles are welcome (maybe because they’ve gobbled up most of their customers) although I look forwards to those where pet pigs and lamas are at home. Nevertheless I would certainly avoid those eateries that welcome blue-bottles and wasps in their precincts!