Chef Cristian Fagone brings his cuisine to the seaside: he has chosen the Tuscan coast for his first project outside Bergamo—seafood cuisine with a distinct identity and authentic roots in Marina di Castagneto Carducci
For Francesca Mauri, La Tana del Pirata, a historic seaside restaurant and beach club overlooking the blue waters of Marina di Castagneto Carducci, in the province of Livorno, is one such place.
There are places you don’t choose by chance.
Places that belong to memory even before they become a project. Places that, at a certain point, ask to be rediscovered, transformed, and given a new lease on life.
This is where Francesca spent every summer as a child. Here she knows the rhythms of the beach, the habits of the regulars, the way the light changes throughout the day, the sound of the sea at different times. And it is precisely from this deep connection that the new direction of La Tana del Pirata emerges, reopening in the 2026 season under a management team poised to mark a turning point: Francesca Mauri and Cristian Fagone, owners of Impronte, a Bergamo restaurant awarded a Michelin star in 2020.
This is not merely a change in management, but a culinary project conceived from the outset with a clear vision: to bring to the Tuscan coast the same attention to detail, the same dedication to research, and the same philosophy of hospitality that have made Impronte a benchmark for lovers of contemporary dining, without losing the human warmth of the service or the authentic pleasure of dining.
For Cristian Fagone, this is his first project outside of Bergamo. For Francesca Mauri, it is also a return to her roots.
“Together, they aim to transform La Tana del Pirata into a place where personal memories, hospitality, and culinary culture come together by the sea. The cuisine at La Tana del Pirata is not intended to be seafood cuisine in the most traditional sense of the term. Rather, it is seaside cuisine. A subtle but fundamental distinction” they assert.
Traditional coastal classics serve as the starting point, but the touch is that of Cristian and his team, drawing on all the technical skill and culinary culture honed over years of working at the highest levels: from training in Michelin-starred Italian restaurants to the formative experience at Massimiliano Alajmo’s Le Calandre.
The result is a distinctive cuisine that speaks to the locale without resorting to predictable imitation. Dishes that retain the lightness of the sea, yet with a technical depth evident in the details, the balance, and the pairings. A cuisine that does not seek to impose itself, but to leave a lasting impression.
At lunch, the menu is designed for those who wish to dine well without disrupting the rhythm of a day at the beach, featuring a selection of à la carte dishes. In the evening, the cuisine becomes more elaborate and the menu expands, while still maintaining the natural essence of the location and the season.
Among the appetizers, the Seafood Platter stands out, featuring oysters, scampi, red shrimp, purple shrimp, pink shrimp, mantis shrimp, Italian squid, bluefin tuna tartare, and anchovies, as well as the Warm Seafood Salad with crustaceans, mollusks, and mussels.
Among the first courses, the homemade ricotta ravioli with candied lemon, marinated mazzancolla shrimp, tomato gazpacho, and capers perfectly capture Fagone’s signature style: a classic, comforting base, enhanced by an unexpected detail that elevates the dish without straying from its identity.
Among the main courses, the menu turns to the sea with immediacy and generosity: from the Catalana of shellfish with langoustines, red prawns, and shrimp, to the fish cart, all the way to the Grand Mixed Fry with shrimp, pink prawns, squid, cuttlefish, anchovies, mixed fish, and vegetables.
The wine list, too, stems from personal research, built on direct relationships with small vignerons. It is not a selection designed to follow trends, but to convey a precise taste, consistent with the cuisine and the concept. Tuscany, Burgundy, Sicily, and Champagne are the key regions, chosen for their affinity, sensibility, and conviction.
The visual and emotional heart of La Tana del Pirata, however, remains its terrace. Overlooking the blue waters directly, it is designed to experience the sea unfiltered: the height of the tables is carefully considered so that every guest can have the horizon right before their eyes. An indoor dining room accommodates more intimate moments, while outside, the light, the wind, and the sound of the waves accompany the experience.
La Tana del Pirata is a place that changes with the time of day.
In the morning, the bar welcomes guests with breakfast, fresh pastries, focaccia, and a selection of sweet and savory options. Throughout the day, fruit, snacks, and light, casual dining let you enjoy the sea freely, without compromising on quality. The experience is rounded out by the evening aperitif, which takes center stage with a dedicated menu and a distinct identity: enjoying the most beautiful part of the day, when the light warms up, the beach slows down, and the sea turns almost orange.
At that moment, the terrace—or the poolside—becomes the perfect spot to linger, glass in hand, letting the day come to a leisurely close.
La Tana del Pirata is thus a restaurant, a bar, a seaside terrace, an aperitif spot, a smart lunch, and a quality break. But above all, it is a project of restoration: restoring care, life, and vision to a place that already has a history, a memory, a soul.
Because certain places don’t just open.
They are rediscovered.
And when they come back to life, they bring with them everything they have been and everything they can still become.
La Tana del Pirata
Via Milano 17, Marina di Castagneto Carducci – Livorno
Tel. +39 0565 539023
