Osteria senza Oste Site Features

The building is deliberately unremarkable: a small stone-and-timber hut of the local farm type, with a couple of rooms, benches, and a terrace looking out over the terraces.

The point is the position. It sits among the vines on the slope above Santo Stefano, with the Cartizze hill and the ridge stretching away, which is why people come up on foot even though the walk is steep.

Inside, wine and food are simply there, on shelves and in a fridge, with a price list and a box.

The honesty box

No staff, no till. You take what you want, work out what it costs and leave the money.

The terrace view

Out over the terraced slopes toward Cartizze -- the best free view in the district.

The walk up

Twenty minutes on foot from Santo Stefano through the vines, which is how it is meant to be reached.

Local wine only

What is on the shelf comes from the surrounding slopes, and is priced roughly at cellar-door rates.

The hut stands among working vineyards on the hillside above Santo Stefano, on the northern edge of the Cartizze slope, reached by a track through the vines.