Sfratto dei Goym and Local Pastries
Pitigliano's most distinctive food souvenir is the sfratto dei goym — a long, crunchy pastry tube filled with honey, walnuts, orange peel and nutmeg, whose very name ('eviction of the gentiles') references the town's Jewish history. You'll find the best versions in the town's small bakeries and at the Pasticceria Il Tufo Allegro on Via della Repubblica.
The Story Behind the Sfratto
The sfratto's name derives from the stick (sfratto) landlords used to bang on doors when evicting Jewish tenants — the long cylindrical shape of the pastry is a deliberate, wry reference. It was traditionally made for the Jewish New Year and has since become the town's signature edible export.
Pasticceria Il Tufo Allegro on Via della Repubblica is the most reliable place to buy them fresh; the owner still uses a recipe passed down through generations and the pastries are vacuum-packed for easy transport home.
What Else to Eat in Pitigliano
Beyond the sfratto, the local cucina povera is worth exploring seriously. Acquacotta — literally 'cooked water', a peasant soup of wild herbs, tomato, onion and egg poured over stale bread — appears on nearly every trattoria menu and is a revelation when made well.
Ristorante Il Tufo Allegro (connected to the pasticceria, on Vicolo della Costituzione 5) is the town's most celebrated table, serving dishes rooted in the Maremma tradition with real skill: wild boar with juniper, hand-rolled pici pasta with local sausage and the occasional Jewish-influenced recipe that nods to the town's history.
Pair everything with a glass of Bianco di Pitigliano DOC — a crisp, mineral-edged white made from Trebbiano and Greco grapes grown on the volcanic tufa soils, available by the carafe in almost every restaurant in town.
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