Il Merlo

The story

Il Merlo Restaurant Lido di Camaiore – Michelin Recommended Tuscan & Emilian Cuisine

Il Merlo: A Family Story on the Versilia Coast

On the seafront of Lido di Camaiore, near Viareggio, Il Merlo is a restaurant that carries four generations of family history. The story begins with the owner’s great-grandfather, who opened a refreshment point in Camaiore during the Second World War. His son Guido, passionate about French wine and food culture, later ran a bar-emporium selling quality products. Claudio, Angelo’s father, and his wife Romana—an Emilia-Romagna-born sfoglina—transformed the emporium into a gastronomy serving hot dishes.

Today, chef Angelo Torcigliani leads the kitchen. After hotel school and his father’s passing, he joined the family business. Inheriting his grandfather’s love for France, he travelled to learn classic French cuisine, then blended that discipline with his own Tuscan and Emilian roots. His cooking is a sum of passion, study, and identity. He avoids sous-vide and modern techniques, preferring pan-cooking, slow reductions, and a whole-animal approach inspired by Fergus Henderson. His mother Romana still makes the fresh pasta by hand every day—ravioli, tortellini, and the region’s signature filled pastas.

The Setting and the Sea

The restaurant sits right on the water, a peaceful oasis where the Versilia landscape—between land, sea, and sky—meets the daily catch from the Tyrrhenian Sea. The cuisine is a direct inheritance of great Tuscan and Emilian flavours, modernised with elegance. The menu changes with the seasons, but certain dishes have already become classics of chef Torcigliani. The atmosphere is refined yet relaxed, with outdoor seating available and a private room for special occasions.

Recognition and Philosophy

Il Merlo has earned a Michelin Recommended award, a recognition that speaks to the consistency and soul of Angelo Torcigliani’s work. The kitchen uses large raw materials from the local territory and high-quality French butters. The result is a cuisine that feels both rooted and personal—a place where the traditions of Tuscany and Emilia are honoured without fuss, and where the sea is always present.