Restaurant in Marlia, Italy

Butterfly

Name: Butterfly
Address: Via del Brennero, 192, 55012 Marlia LU, Italy, Marlia, IT
Telephone: +39 0583 307573
Price range: €€€€

875Pearl Points

Book Sunday lunch; dinner requires planning.

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About Butterfly

Butterfly holds a Michelin star (2024) and occupies a 19th-century farmhouse outside Lucca, with a glass veranda that opens onto the garden in summer. At €€€€ pricing it delivers strong value for one-star dining in Tuscany — father-and-son kitchen team, family-run service, and a menu that accommodates vegetarian requests. Book Sunday lunch if you can; it is the hardest slot to get and the best the venue offers.

Verdict: Book Butterfly for Sunday Lunch First, Then Decide on Dinner

Butterfly holds a Michelin star (2024) and sits in a 19th-century farmhouse outside Lucca, making it one of the most compelling reasons to extend a Tuscan itinerary beyond the city walls. At €€€€ pricing, it competes with the best-value one-star experiences in central Italy. Book it — but read the timing section before you choose your slot.

The Setting and What It Means for Your Visit

The farmhouse position matters practically, not just aesthetically. Butterfly occupies a villa in Marlia, close enough to Lucca to work as a dinner destination from the city but far enough that you will need a car or taxi. The glass-enclosed veranda is the dining room to request: in summer it opens onto the lawn, effectively making it outdoor dining with the reliability of a roof; in winter it stays closed but heated, with garden views that keep the setting from feeling sealed-off. If you are visiting between May and September, prioritise an outdoor-facing table — it changes the experience materially.

Father-and-son team Fabrizio and Andrea Girasoli run the kitchen, with Mariella Girasoli orchestrating front-of-house. The family structure shows in the service: it is professionally delivered but warmer in register than you typically find at comparable starred rooms. For travellers who find formal fine dining tiring, that is a genuine differentiator.

Lunch vs Dinner: The Core Decision

This is where Butterfly gets interesting for anyone planning a Lucca trip. Sunday lunch (12:45 PM to 2:00 PM) is the only midday service available all week, making it structurally rare and worth prioritising. A Michelin-starred lunch in a garden setting , with the option to linger over the lawn in good weather , is a different meal from a Thursday or Friday dinner, even if the kitchen is cooking at the same level.

The practical case for Sunday lunch: you get the full kitchen with natural light, the garden at its most usable, and a slightly more relaxed pace than weeknight dinner. The case against: the service window is tighter (12:45 PM to 2:00 PM versus 8 PM to 11 PM at dinner), and Sunday demand from local diners and visiting tourists means it is the hardest slot to book. If Sunday lunch is not available, Thursday or Friday dinner is the next-leading choice , midweek evenings at Butterfly tend to be quieter than weekend slots, which helps if you want a more considered, unhurried meal.

Wednesday is the full closure day. Plan around it.

The Food: Range and Confidence

The menu at Butterfly runs wide , meat and seafood both represented with equal seriousness, vegetarian and vegan options available on request. The kitchen's documented range includes Tyrrhenian scampi grilled on lava stone with a liquid Catalana sauce, baby radish salad, and green mango, alongside a cocoa cigar filled with foie gras, apple, and hazelnut (described as a tribute to Puccini, who was born near Lucca). That breadth is a practical advantage for groups with mixed dietary preferences, and the willingness to build menus around what is available seasonally means the experience rewards visits at different times of year.

Chef Fabrizio Girasoli is noted for an ability to improvise menus on request rather than working only from a fixed structure , a genuine rarity at starred level, and useful to know if your group has specific preferences or restrictions. Ask when booking.

Booking: Expect Difficulty

Butterfly is a hard book. Michelin recognition, a small farmhouse footprint, and a location that attracts both Lucca-based visitors and dedicated food travellers mean tables move quickly. Book as far out as possible , aim for four to six weeks minimum for a weekend slot, and do not assume midweek is significantly easier for dinner service. Sunday lunch requires the longest lead time of any slot. There is no published booking method in the current data, so contact the restaurant directly and be prepared to follow up.

Ratings and Trust Signals

Michelin 1 Star (2024)
Google: 4.5 from 529 reviews
Price tier: €€€€

Practical Details

Detail	Butterfly (Marlia)	Enoteca Pinchiorri (Florence)	Dal Pescatore (Runate)
Michelin Stars	1 Star (2024)	3 Stars	3 Stars
Price Tier	€€€€	€€€€	€€€€
Lunch Service	Sunday only (12:45 PM)	Yes (limited days)	Yes (Tue–Sun)
Dinner Hours	Mon, Thu–Sat 8 PM–11 PM; Sun 8 PM–10:30 PM	Evenings (check)	Evenings (Tue–Sat)
Closed	Wednesday	Sunday/Monday	Monday/Tuesday
Setting	19th-c farmhouse, garden veranda	Historic Florentine palazzo	Rural family estate
Booking Difficulty	Hard	Very Hard	Hard
Family-run	Yes	No	Yes

How It Compares

See the comparison section below for how Butterfly sits against its Italian fine-dining peers.

Explore More in Marlia and Lucca

Italian Fine Dining Worth Comparing

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Butterfly worth the price?

At €€€€ pricing with a 2024 Michelin star, Butterfly delivers value if the full farmhouse-and-garden experience is what you are after. The kitchen handles both meat and seafood with equal seriousness, and vegetarian or vegan menus are available on request. For that price in Tuscany, Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence is the only direct competitor with higher formal prestige, but Butterfly wins on atmosphere and intimacy. If you want a high-end Lucca-area dinner without driving to Florence, this is the credible choice.

Is Butterfly good for solo dining?

The venue data does not confirm bar seating or a counter format, which makes solo dining harder to assess. The farmhouse setting and family-run service suggest a room oriented toward table dining rather than solo walk-in culture. Solo diners are not excluded, but the €€€€ price point and the table-service format make this a better fit for a deliberate solo booking than a casual drop-in. Book ahead and confirm table configuration when you reserve.

Can I eat at the bar at Butterfly?

There is no confirmed bar seating in the venue record. Butterfly is a farmhouse restaurant with a glass-enclosed veranda and garden dining, not a bar-format operation. If walk-in bar dining is the goal, this is not the right venue.

What should I order at Butterfly?

Specific current dishes can change without a live menu, but the kitchen is documented to run a wide menu balancing meat and seafood, with seasonal vegetables prominent throughout. Vegetarian and vegan menus are available on request. Chef Fabrizio Girasoli is noted for improvising menus on the spot, so asking the team what is best that evening is a legitimate and likely productive approach. Check the venue's official channels for the latest details.

Is lunch or dinner better at Butterfly?

Sunday lunch (12:45 PM to 2:00 PM) is the only midday service available all week, and it is the stronger booking case for first-timers: the garden and farmhouse setting read best in daylight, and lunch typically carries lighter commitment on a Tuscany itinerary. Dinner runs Thursday through Saturday and Sunday evening, giving more scheduling flexibility. If you are visiting Lucca and can only go once, Sunday lunch is the entry point to prioritise.

Is Butterfly good for a special occasion?

Yes, with conditions. The 19th-century farmhouse, garden setting, Michelin star (2024), and family-run hospitality led by Mariella Girasoli make this a strong choice for a milestone dinner or anniversary. The tone is refined but familial rather than stiffly formal, which suits occasions where you want atmosphere without a corporate feel. Book well in advance given the venue's size and recognition.

Is the tasting menu worth it at Butterfly?

The kitchen's documented strength is range: meat, seafood, and vegetarian all handled seriously across a wide menu. Chef Fabrizio Girasoli is noted for constructing menus on the spot, which suggests the tasting format plays to his strengths. At €€€€ pricing, the tasting menu is the logical way to experience the full scope of the kitchen. If you prefer à la carte control over the meal, the menu width still accommodates that, but the tasting route gives you a better read on what the restaurant actually does.

Location

Via del Brennero, 192, 55012 Marlia LU, Italy

Marlia, Italy

Compare Butterfly

Price vs. Value: Butterfly

Venue	Price	Booking Difficulty	Value
Butterfly	€€€€	Hard	—
Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler	€€€€	Unknown	—
Dal Pescatore	€€€€	Unknown	—
Enoteca Pinchiorri	€€€€	Unknown	—
Enrico Bartolini	€€€€	Unknown	—
Le Calandre	€€€€	Unknown	—

How Butterfly stacks up against the competition.

Also Consider

Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler — Italian, Creative, €€€€
Dal Pescatore — Italian, Italian Contemporary, €€€€
Enoteca Pinchiorri — Italian - French, Italian Contemporary, €€€€
Enrico Bartolini — Creative, €€€€
Le Calandre — Progressive Italian, Creative, €€€€

How Butterfly Compares

At one Michelin star and €€€€ pricing, Butterfly is the right choice if you want a high-quality Italian fine-dining experience in a rural setting without committing to the full intensity of a three-star room. Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence holds three stars and operates at the same price tier — it is the more technically demanding experience, but also harder to book and set in a formal urban palazzo that removes the garden-and-farmhouse appeal entirely. If you are in Tuscany and the setting matters as much as the cooking, Butterfly wins that trade-off clearly.

Dal Pescatore in Runate is a useful parallel: three Michelin stars, family-run, rural setting, €€€€, with a similarly warm service register. It outranks Butterfly on technical prestige and is worth the detour for serious food travellers who can plan around the Mantua area. Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico and Le Calandre in Rubano both operate at higher star counts and greater technical ambition — Le Calandre in particular for progressive Italian cooking — but neither is a Lucca-area option. Enrico Bartolini in Milan is the urban alternative for creative Italian at this price tier, though the setting is incomparable to Butterfly's farmhouse.

The practical verdict: if your trip is anchored in or around Lucca, Butterfly is the correct booking and there is no direct local competitor at this level. If you are building an Italy itinerary around starred dining and can be flexible on location, Dal Pescatore and Le Calandre both represent higher ceilings — but at the cost of the specific Tuscan farmhouse experience that makes Butterfly worth the reservation in the first place.