The Tuscan chef: from world-class kitchens and Michelin stars to Pisa’s new contemporary cuisine.
Lorenzo Barsotti was born in Prato on 25 November 1983, into a Tuscan family with roots in the Val d'Elsa. He grew up alongside his parents, sister and brother, and even as a child showed a clear aptitude for cooking: at just five or six years old he would help his mother prepare homemade desserts, taking his first steps among doughs and small kitchen tasks.
In September 1999, this passion became a path: Lorenzo enrolled at the Aurelio Saffi hospitality institute in Florence. From his very first hands-on experiences, his talent did not go unnoticed, and the early praise from those who watched him work confirmed he was on the right track.
His professional training began in March 2002, with an internship at the Grand Hotel Minerva in Florence as a commis chef. It was the start of a journey that took him, between 2002 and 2003, to the Enoteca Barni in Prato, first as a commis and then as chef de partie for mains and starters, followed by another internship in February 2003 at the Grand Hotel Villa Cora, a five-star luxury hotel in Florence. That same summer he flew to Corsica, to the restaurant Al Luna in Sainte-Séverine, where he took on his first role of responsibility as a cook.
From November 2003 he worked for over two years at the restaurant Pepe Nero in Prato as chef de partie for mains, until mid-April 2006, when he joined the Hotel Terme di Saturnia, a five-star luxury property in the Grosseto area, where he grew further, moving from chef de partie for starters to chef garde manger.
In March 2008 he arrived at Locanda dell'Angelo "Paracucchi" in Ameglia, a temple of creative Ligurian cuisine, as chef de partie for first courses and sous chef. This experience was interrupted only for another pivotal step: between November 2008 and January 2009 he was in Girona, Spain, for an internship at El Celler de Can Roca, three Michelin stars, where he further refined his technique. Back at Locanda dell'Angelo, he became head chef, a role he held until December 2009.
From January 2010, a new chapter opened — this time an entrepreneurial one: together with his brother Francesco, a wine enthusiast, Lorenzo opened Trattoria Enoteca Barsotti in Marzabotto, in the province of Bologna, a project he ran until June 2015, offering creative, high-quality cuisine paired with a carefully curated wine selection.
From September 2015 he joined Filippo's team in Pietrasanta, contributing to the launch of Filippo Mud, a new hospitality concept for the property; during this period he also found time for an internship at Caino in Montemerano, two Michelin stars. From January 2016 to September 2019 he worked alongside his friend, chef Maurizio Marsili, formerly Paracucchi's right-hand man, on the Pesce Briaco project, a restaurant in Sant'Alessio, just outside Lucca.
Since November 2019, Lorenzo has been chef at the Ristorante La Sosta, in the heart of Pisa, where he brings tradition to the table through technique and contemporary sensibility, retaining the distinctive character built across the many experiences of his career.
