The Best Restaurants in Italy :

One among only a handful of restaurants in Italy to hold two prestigious Michelin stars, Enoteca Pinchiorri is a dream come true for any gourmet. And the setting, a grand 16th century palazzo close to Michelangelo's birthplace, is only fit for such a masterpiece of a restaurant.

Italian Giorgio Pinchiorri (after whom the place is named) and Frenchwoman Annie Féolde started the place way back in 1979 and they have made sure that perfection became the middle name for this restaurant. People from across the planet flock to this place in which Annie takes care of the food and Italian Georgio duly oversees the wine cellars.

The continuous flow of delectable food items along with their heavenly aroma leaves you gasping for more. Annie, along with Italo Bassi and Riccardo Monco, thrills your taste buds with superior Tuscan cuisine complete with Deep-fried prawn appetizers and roasted baby pork meat courses. The rich cheese in the dessert is nothing short of divine and so is the Moscato d’Asti “granite”. Interesting pasta combinations like ignudi -- ricotta-and-spinach dumplings with a lobster-and-coxcomb fricassee, never fail to keep you on tenterhooks, always guessing what is to arrive next. Though the food is ambrosial to say the least, the amount might be a tad too small to quite fill you up.

Any report on Enoteca Pinchiorri will be deficient without a mention of its first-class cellar which Giorgio has nurtured to the hilt. With 150,000 bottles in his exclusive cellar, his stock of wine is second to none in the entire planet. With bottles ranging from as far back as 1906 (with a matching price of course), the host of both Italian and non-Italian wine will take your breath away.

It is not the food as much as the setting and the style in which it is served which attracts the multifarious crowd here. Right from the inner courtyard smelling of jasmine to the several elegant rooms made up with the finest of napery, the entire place is designed to give the very best of dining experiences to the discerning visitor.

The almost obsessive thirst for perfection is satiated by having the best of everything. Silver chiseled by silversmiths Cassetti and Braganti, Table-linen from Frette, Broggi cutlery, rare Richard-Ginori porcelain and crystal ware from the incomparable Austrian Riedel.

Stylish as the entire package might be termed, it does not, justifiably so, come without a cost. Expect to pay a price which justifies the august treatment you receive here. After all, the entire event is more of an adventure in one of the top-ten restaurants of the world, than just another dinner trip.

Gualtiero Marchesi :



He wanted to be a concert pianist. But he ended up being a renowned artiste of a different ilk – a chef, one of the 15 best in the world.

Gualtiero Marchesi was born in Milan, Italy, in the year 1930, into a family that made catering a profession. His parents owned "L'Albergo del Mercato" (The Hotel at the Marketplace) in Via Bezzecca, Milan and it was here that the young Gualtiero had his first experiences with cooking.

Two of his paternal relatives, Luigi Ghisoni, who had been a chef at the Ritz on Madeira before he joined Marchesi Senior as his business partner, and Domenico Bergamaschi, chef at Albergo del Mercato, were major influences on Gualtiero. He admired both for their ability to prepare traditional recipes perfectly, and also for their talent in enhancing the taste of even simple ingredients.

When Gualtiero was 17 years old, he told his mother that he wanted to discontinue his schooling and she sent him off to work at the Hotel Klum in St. Moritz. He went on to study at a hotel school in Lucerne before returning to work at Albergo del Mercato.

At Mercato, he was required to make traditional lunch for the vendors at the market. But come dinner, he was given a free hand to try out the ideas swirling in his head, thanks to the exposure he had got abroad. Slowly, the young chef built up a clientele of his own, dishing up avant-garde cuisine.

In between trying out recipes, Gualtiero indulged his passion for music, taking in all the concerts and shows possible. In the course of his dates with music, he met and subsequently married a young woman of Sicilian origin, a piano soloist and daughter of a famous soprano. In a brief flirtation with his dream of becoming a concert pianist, Gualtiero took lessons from his wife, but the couple soon realized that his calling lay in the kitchen, not on the piano stool.

Gualtiero then went to France -- to “Ledoyen” in Paris, "Le Chapeau Rouge” in Dijon and “Troigros” in Roanne, and had what he once described as his ‘university education’. On his return to Milan, he opened a small hotel with his parents, and that remained his milieu till 1977.

In that year Gualtiero Marchesi opened his first restaurant. It was located on Via Bonvesin de la Riva in Milan. Within a year he earned his first Michelin star, and followed it up with another in the second year. It took another seven years, but then he won the distinction of a third Michelin star – the first time a chef in Italy was so honoured.

So what is so special about Gualtiero Marchesi? His culinary art is a creative process that has evolved with the years. It seeks to combine simplicity and complexity, the traditional with the modern, to achieve a unique whole. Initially heavily influenced by the French connection, Marchesi gradually incorporated a whole new branch of gastronomy – Japanese cuisine – into his art. The two influences coalesced with his strong Italian roots into what he called Marchesian: Japanese cuisine, Italian taste.

He uses regionally typical ingredients to whip up works of art, where no ingredient is suffocated by another, but rather, blend together to produce a divine composite.

Marchesi moved with the times, bowing to the demands of nouvelle cuisine. His cooking remained straightforward, with a distinctively elegant and innovative manner of presentation. Take his risotto alla milanese (rice Milanese-style) for example. It has blossomed into riso, oro, e zafferano, or saffron rice decorated with gold leaf. So highly are the artistic merits of this dish rated that it was given the status of a painting when it was included in a Chicago exhibition.

Or take the case of the humble pasta, which it was thought could never aspire to the level of haute cuisine. That perception was destroyed for good when Gualtiero Marchesi came along. At Bonvesin de la Riva, he set out to scale the heights to which pasta could be raised. Foie gras, asparagus, truffles, caviar and raw seafood were all brought into play. Breaking with tradition, which demanded that pasta be served hot invariably, the non-conformist Marchesi served it cold on occasion, with delectable results.

He was also not afraid to turn the negative into the positive. Once, served overcooked ravioli, which split open on his plate, Marchesi, found himself gripped by the idea that the traditional concept of filled ravioli, a way of using up leftovers, could be modified. The result – the path-breaking open ravioli, two superimposed squares of pasta, filled with scallops. Pasta has never been the same again.

In September 1993, Marchiesa moved out of Milan to Franciacorta, a wonderful territory midway between Bergamo and Brescia. He opened the Ristorante di Erbusco in the Albereta Hotel. Here, his vision of global cuisine took root and is flourishing.

Gualtiero Marchesi di San Pietro all'Orto in Milan, which started functioning in 1998, is a happy marriage between traditional cooking and modern technology. It is also an accredited cooking academy.

He went further afield three years later, opening a restaurant in Paris.

In January 2001, the doors of the Ostaria dell’Orso, the oldest restaurant in Rome, located in a palace dating back to 1400 AD, were flung open again, this time by Marchiese.

Gualtiero Marchesi has been honoured many a time. In 1986, he won the highest award given by the city of Milan, the Ambrogino d’oro. In 1989, he was awarded “Personnalité de l’année” for gastronomy, an honour given for the first time to an Italian chef. In 1990 he was given the “Chevalier des Arts et des lettres” medal by the French government, and in 1991 the Italian Republic conferred on him the title of “Commendatore della Repubblica”. The year 1999 saw him receive the highest honour his native Lombardy can bestow on its sons – the “Longobardo d’Oro”: The Laurea Honoris Causa in Feeding Science by the Universitas Sancti Cyrilli in Rome was another feather in his cap, but perhaps the greatest honour he has received is the Grand Prix ‘Memoire et Gratitude’, awarded by the International Academy of Gatronomy to a chef who has renewed the concepts of classical cuisine and set a milestone on the journey of international gastronomy.

Marchesi is one of the founders of Euro-Toques, an association of some 3000 of the world’s most important chefs, and was its international president during 2000-2002.

As the University Rector of ALMA, which offers the first International Masters degree in Italian cuisine, Marchesi hopes to overcome his country’s lack of a tradition of catering and restaurant management of the highest order.

On a personal front, this man, who is numbered among the world’s greatest cooks, loves Japanese cuisine the best, hates pizza, and dreams of mozzarella!


Aciugheta Restaurant Florence, Italy :



Da Aciugheta’ (translating into ‘tiny anchovy’ in Italian) is a wine bar and a pizzeria and also serves Venetian cuisine. Located in Hotel Rio in the bustling Filippo e Giacomo, this restaurant lives up to the tag of having ‘One of the best wine bars in Venice.’ Choicest selections of many Italian and Veneto wines are served in style by wine expert Gianni Bonaccorsi. To keep one occupied in between sips, Cicheti (bite-sized snacks and appetizers such as meat-balls, small stuffed peppers and freshly baked pizzette with anchovies) and a host of other delicacies like tiny pizzas, stuffed red peppers and an exquisite selection of cheeses are served. This reasonably priced restaurant has a merry atmosphere and Venetians love to spend their evenings in the place. It is also worth noting that several rooms in the hotel were once occupied by the famous musical composer Antonio Vivaldi. Staying here is a pleasure as the hotel is run by a pleasant team and one also gets a complimentary breakfast in the restaurant.

The daily wine selection changes, but the local wines which are found in plenty are always available not to mention some Tuscan and Piedmontese choices which are also available. But despite all this, it is the Cicheti that gets a mention in national and international guides. The open air terrace further heightens the good feeling of dining here and pizza lovers would love to taste the ones with freshly chopped tomatoes and buffalo mozarellas and the variety of local specialties.

The hotel can be easily reached from the Santa Lucia railway station and also from the Piazzale Roma (bus and car terminal) by taking the waterbus lines 1 or 51. Line 1 is slower but one can sink in the wonderful views of the palaces overlooking the Grand Canal. Taking Line 51 (aka the green line), one can reach the hotel in about half and hour. From the airport one can take the shuttle boat called ‘Alilaguna’ going to St Mark’s Square from where one can walk to Aciugheta. A private water taxi can also be arranged from the Airport but it is, justifiably so, considerably more expensive.

Overall, it is to be said that Aciugheta is a not so costly a restaurant and is one of the major attractions in Venice.




The Antica Osteria Del Ponte :

Ancient Tavern of the Bridge

Discover a Tasteful Lifestyle…



Cross the threshold of ancient tastes and walk into the Anterica Osteria del Ponte, the epitome of sophisticated cuisine. If you are a lover of food, then make your way to this marvelous restaurant through the Auto Strada at Arluna A4 for about 9 kilometers. You will find the Anterica Osteria del Ponte in downtown Milan. Sit amidst picturesque and calm surroundings in an old 14th century inn on the banks of the 13th Naviglio Grande canal. Look across at the beautiful 17th Villa Castiglione set in verdant natural gardens in the village of Cassinetta di Lugagnano on the outskirts of Milan. Admire the old Inn standing at the edge of the Bridge which was the seat of the nobles of Milan which teemed with a rich and elegant lifestyle. Discover the Anterica Osteria del Ponte on Piazza G. Negri, 9, Cassinetta di Lugagnano Milan, Lombardia, Lombard, Italy and enjoy the ambience of ancient ages.






If your taste buds are hankering for a cuisine that is both sophisticated and perfect, the Anterica Osteria del Ponte offers you a passionate and pleasurable experience. Managed with impeccable service and immaculate cuisine, the restaurant has won the accolades of three stars with its keen attention to detail and innovative and creative cuisine. You will definitely bump into celebrities, gourmets, distinguished visitors from overseas, tourists and locals who clamor to try out the delicious cuisine of the Anterica Osteria del Ponte. Come and luxuriate in an atmosphere perfected with twenty years of hard work, determination and passion.





Meet Ezio Santin, the owner, whose personal touch has come from a hands-on, self-taught experience, whose passion is not only haute cuisine but the eagerness to impart the ingredients of the essence of serving and eating exceptional food. With a motley background of work experience, Ezio Santin has seamlessly infused the traditional Lombardy cuisine with touches of French technicalities. You will definitely meet and admire his wife, Renata who manages the restaurant. Her fine personal touches have enhanced the décor and created a warm and hospitable ambience. Their son, Maurizio exhibits the talents and genes of his parents and is on his way to becoming a unique patissier. With two chefs de rang, two commis and six assistants, the Anterica Osteria del Ponte is renowned for its distinct and inventive cuisine.




Sit in a beautiful verandah or walk into an amazingly elegant white-walled dining room reflecting the sheen of polished to perfection wood. Feel the deep softness of rich pile carpets, relax on antique furniture and enjoy gourmet food, such as, Tarte de pâtes fraîches à la courge and truffes blanches, Oie de Ferme à la Royale, Antipasti, Primi piatti, and Dolce. Ezio Santin has brought in the elements of Nature with his innovative farm, where he grows herbs, vegetables and fruits. With a natural passion, Ezio Santin says, “I want to raise herbs and vegetables with my hands”. Working systematically with thorough detail, all the ingredients, salt and olive oil are checked with loving care as well as professionalism. With innate entrepreneurship and artistic ability of Ezio Santin, the Anterica Osteria del Ponte is a Member of Les Grandes Tables du Monde.



So put yourself and your appetite in the hands of world-famous professionals at the Anterica Osteria del Ponte and let Renata guide you through your Starters with Asparagus with Grana cheese sauce, Fish dishes with local Lobster salad with vegetables of the season and Desserts with Chocolate and almond terrine and Hot chocolate flan with white chocolate sauce and chocolate cake. Go through the wine list that includes popular Italian and famous French wines that enhance the natural taste of your creative dishes and inspire the imagination. With innovative changes according to the season, porcini mushrooms take pride of place in Ezio Santin’s kitchen during the winter months. Enjoy a delicious menu with Ezio’s own farm products with Lasagnette served with cream of peas and foie gras, Lasagnetta made of fresh eggplant paste, quartirolo and basil, Raviolini of crustaceans in brodo of lobster, Gnocchetti of stoccafisso in sauce duffle-coat, Insalata of Lobster, Crazy mixed fish all’acqua, Scaloppa of branzino with cream of finocchi, Nostrana Faraona with green pepper, and Dessert with Delight of autumn, Flan of warm chocolate and a heartwarming Chocolate Tureen with almonds.



Enriching lifestyles with the elixir of natural tastes, traditional cuisine and extraordinary hospitality has taken Anterica Osteria del Ponte all the way to Tokyo. Resplendent with brilliant touches, the Anerica Osteria del Ponte has reached the top rungs in taste in Japan at the Marunouchi building on the top most floor. Luxurious with incredible interiors, the restaurant evolves over a huge area with a waiting room, dining area and main dining room with fabulous views of Odaiba and Ariake. The exclusive Club Golosi welcomes its members to an elegant décor fit for royalty. Equipped to handle celebrations, weddings and parties, the restaurant offers amazing cuisine, wines and 500 kinds of grappa served with courtesy, sophistication and the essence of tradition.

Let the Anerica Osteria Del Ponte weave the Magic of Cuisine…




Checchino dal 1887 :

Go on a Culinary Journey…



Bring back the past as your footsteps crunch over the broken amphoras in Testaccio. Hurry down to celebrate the spirit of Rome at Checcino dal 1887. Sit in the attractive and elegant ambience of Checcino dal 1887 located at Via di Monte Tesraccio 30, Rome 00153 and listen to a fantastic tale. Go into the time of Imperial Rome and watch the Romans carry in amphoras of wine and oil from other parts of the country. As the oil and wine had leaked into the porous earthenware, the amphoras could not be used twice. So it was thrown into the River Tiber. Emperor Nero ordered the amphoras to be taken out of the Tiber as the river could get choked. The amphoras were broken and stacked into necks and handles in one pile and the broken bodies into another. As they piled up, the amphoras became hills over 70 meters high. As time went by, it was found that the terracotta hills were good for storage cellars for wine. So, caves were cut into the hills to store wine.




Come and celebrate the fantastic Roman tradition at the centenary function of Checcino dal 1887 and walk into the cool confines of a restaurant carved into the terracotta hills. Listen to the history of Checcino dal 1887 when it was a shop selling wine to the butchers who worked in the slaughter houses close by. Part of the workers’ salary was paid with the fifth quarter of the day’s slaughter of tail, feet, intestines, sweetbreads and other parts. Soon it was turned into a tavern with a wine shop and now the great great-grandchildren of the original owners run this unique, typical Roman restaurant. Sit down to enjoy classic Roman dishes with rigatoni con pajata (pasta with small intestines), coda alla vaccinara (oxtail stew), fagioli e cotiche (beans with intestinal fat), and other examples of la cucina povera (food of the poor).



Come and meet the owners of Checchino dal 1887 which was ranked as one of the 50 best Restaurants in the World 2005. The kitchen is looked after by Ninette Mariani, while her son Elio is in charge of the wine and her other son, Francesco looks after the restaurant. Listen with rapt attention as Francesco guides you through a vast menu which comprises of wild boar with dried prunes served with red wine and an array of delectable soups, salads, pastas steaks, cutlets, grills with delicious desserts like ice creams, spuma di ricotta with cocoa powder or cinnamon and delicious sweets served with caring attention and courtesy.




Explore the old neighborhood of Rome where the old abbatoir was and walk around the corner to discover the graveyard where Keats was buried and where Shelley had his memorial. As twilight dims the skies, the area turns into one of the most vibrant nightspots in the world. Let the taste buds tingle with appetizing aromas from Checcino dal 1887 and turn back to dine at its wonderful outdoor and indoor restaurants. Elio helps you choose the wines from the old terracotta wine cellar which stocks more than 600 labels from all over the world including local and national wines. Relax and let the soul stirring cucina tipica bewitch the senses. Go ahead and ask for major favorites like, Pasta, ‘Bavette with tuna sauce’, Meat, ‘Chicken with peppers Roman style’ and ‘Oxtail Vaccinara’ and the piece de resistance, the Dessert, ‘Ricotta Mousse’. Sora Fermina, the grandmother in the Mariani family had passed down a magical recipe of the celery stew and with innovative talents had created the popular ‘Vaccinara tail made with the ‘gaffi’ or the cheeks of the animal. Try out the stewed abbachio or lamb made according to the seasons with the dish being mild in spring and gamey in winter. Add on a side of salad with crisp greens called ‘Punatarelle’. Sit in the oak-panelled restaurant which has 85 seats and enjoy a spectrum of cheeses, a panorama of 40,000 wines, over 50 Grappas and Armagnacs.





The Mariani family guides you through a spectacular menu which includes signature dishes like, ‘Invaltini di Carni’ which is beef rolled around carrots, onions and herbs and braised to a divine perfection. You can also try the lovely ‘Veal Saltimboca’, rabbit, ‘Bolito Misto’ which is a blend of boiled tongue and trotters, classics like ‘Tonnarelli’ topped with oxtail sauce, ‘Gricia’ which is cured jowl and pecorino or ‘Amatriciana’ and lamb which invites the palate to go on a culinary journey accompanied by Italian classic vintages.

The abode of Roman gastronomy, the Checchino dal 1887 is a Member of Ristoranti Buon Ricordo and recommended by Bona dei Frescobaldi in “Italy’s Finest”. Though the restaurant is closed on Sunday evenings and Mondays do as the Romans do when in Rome by visiting the famous Checcino dal 1887 and meet the locals and the tourists who throng there to taste the ancient dishes of a typical Roman eatery.

Enter the Abode of Roman Gastronomy…




Ristorante Le Calandre:

A symphony of harmony…



Come and listen to symphony of taste, culture and tradition. Listen as its cadence rises with the flavors of aromas and fragrances. Get down to the origin of this musical score at Ristorante Le Calandre on Via Liguria 1, I – 35030, Sarmeola di Rubano, Padova, Italy. Just drive down the SS47 that goes towards Padova for a distance of 22 kilometers. Then take the Padova West ring road for about 3.5 kilometers and head down the SS22 towards Vincenza for another 8 kilometers and you will be in time to take part and enjoy the culinary concert.




Combine an artistic tour with traditional cuisines and walk into the 12th century town of Cittadella. Trace the route of history along the ancient town walls that run around a perimeter of 1481 meters. Wander amongst ancient, historical and mesmerizing palaces, castles, museums and Neo-Classic buildings. Look at the frieze with the Venetian coats of honor and the 15th century bas-relief of the St. Mark’s lion and listen as the chronicles of history unravel.
As an open secret, the Ristorante Le Calandre offers a never-ending concerto that is enjoyable from start to finish. Come and meet the composer, Massimiliano Alajmo who with his mother won the prestigious Michelin star rating when he was only 22 years old! Creating a repertoire of artistic dishes, Max takes his notes from Nature and the origins of his ingredients. Sit down at the elegant dining room and watch a parade of awesome creations such as, Involtini de scampi fritti su salsa di Lattuga which is Skewered shrimp enveloped in fried Chinese noodle, with a puree of lettuce, Cappuccino di Seppie al Nero which is cream of potato soup and puree with squids and Cannellone croccante di ricotta e mozzarella di bufala con passata di pomodoro which is Crispy phyllo dough tubes with a ricotta and buffalo mozzarella stuffing and tomato sauce. Taste the maestro’s signature dish, Risotto allo zafferano con polvere di liquirizia which is Saffron risotto

with licorice powder, La carne battuta "sulla corteccia", A puree of pounded raw beef with truffles and an egg sauce cooked to perfection and Maialino da latte al forno con salsa di senape e polvere di caffe which is Pork with mustard foam and mustard greens. Take a slice of heaven with Mamma Rita (crema soffice di ricotta, uvetta, mela e polvere di zaeti) which is Soft ricotta cream, raisins, polenta cake with apple marmalade, Italian meringue and cornmeal cookie crumbs and a sweet adventure with Il Gioccolato—gioco al cioccolato 2005.




Ristorante Le Calandre which boasts of a four generation run business has been awarded the three-star Michelin rating and the Three Forks from Gambero Rosso also owns Le Calandre Pastry Shop. This sweet kingdom is run by Max’s mother, Rita, who oversees and creates sweet delights from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. every day! Come on in and experience a state of rapture with delicious pastries, mousses, brioches, croissants, pandori, panetonni without preservatives and using natural yeasts and cakes like ‘Pazientina’, taken from a secret 7th century recipe book. During the festival times, Le Calandre Pastry Shop offers Fritelle and Crostoli which are fried exclusively in olive oil.






Enhancing the quality of a lifestyle in the avant-garde Ristorante Le Calandre fashion, Max Alajmo has sculpted a gorgeous menu with, Crema di ricotta di bufala con bottarga di muggine e cozze all'arancia, Sandwich croccante di polenta con paté di fegatini, Cappelli di rape rosse, salsa di gorgonzola e verde di Montegalda, Tagliolini al fumo con burro, acciughe e sfoglie di tuorlo, Funghi saltati con pan biscotto, cipolla di Tropea e sorbetto di pinoli, Piccione di Sante arrostito, germogli tostati, miele al finocchietto e salsa di sesamo, Il carrello dei formaggi and Involtino caldo di prugne con crema soffice di mascarpone e vaniglia and a sign off with Cappuccino Siciliano. Punctuated with the local Nogarole Spumante from Veneto, Prosecco, Amarone, local, regional and international wines, the cellar at the Ristorante Le Calandre offers a complete repertoire of 1000 vintages to satisfy even the most knowing gourmet and connoisseur.

Vistors, celebrities and gourmets come in to taste their awesome Risotto au safran et poudre de réglisse and the Glace au gorgonzola avec une sauce de prunes et eau-de-vie de Prugnolo Gentile ‘spray’ with a cheese course of the incredible Il carrello dei formaggi that displayed cow, goat and sheep cheese from the provinces of Italy. Taste the fabulous beer sorbet and let its originality take you for a journey to the natural realms of the culinary world.