A long-standing center of culinary excellence, Italy continues to have some of the world’s most celebrated restaurants. Different regions of Italy are consistently represented in some of the top-ranked eateries in the world.
For an exceptional night out we take a look at some of the country’s best restaurants while you’re on your visit.
Osteria Francescana in Modena (Emilia-Romagna)
Rated the best restaurant in the world in 2018, Chef Massimo Bottura’s modernist approach to the traditional food of Modena continues to wow even the world’s most particular eaters. Initially shunned by locals, this restaurant nearly went out of business until a well-known reviewer stumbled across it during some car trouble.
Bottura samples the finest ingredients from Emilia-Romagna, a region world renown for its high quality products and produce. One of the chef’s signature dishes, Five Ages of Parmigiano Reggiano, is a master class in the area’s most famous cheese called. It takes you through five different approaches to this delicious cheese in a variety of different temperatures, ages, and textures.
Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence
This wine-focused restaurant in Florence comes from wife-and-husband team Chef Giorgio Pinchiorri and Chef Annie Féolde. Pinchiorri wanted to open a restaurant serving unique wines while Féolde dreamed of creating masterful hors-d'oeuvres to accompany them.
A few years later Chef Féolde would become the first woman in Italy to earn three Michelin stars. In its current incarnation, the restaurant takes a Tuscan approach to accompany its massive cellar of more than 140,000 wines. This cellar has been hand picked over the years by Chef Pinchiorri. One of the best places you could go to request a wine pairing.
Piazza Duomo in Alba, Cuneo (Piedmont)
This modern Italian restaurant emerged over the last decade from the heart of truffle and wine country. Chef Enrico Crippa provides you with an array of dazzling starters and salads — with ingredients sourced from the restaurant’s own farm-to-table garden produce.
Dishes are delivered with confidence and precision, thanks to an aesthetic and technique acquired during the chef’s time working in Japan. The Salad 21, 31, 41, 51 is a stand-out creation, with the variety of herbs, vegetables and ingredients varying seasonally. You’ll find unusual pairings with regional Alba wines.
Le Calandre in Rubano, Padua (Veneto)
Restaurants in Italy are often a family affair. Brothers Massimiliano and Raffaele Alajmo inherited Le Calandre from their parents and have worked together to make it one of the best restaurants in the world. If you want a down-to-earth meal without some of the frillier affectations of modern cuisine, then Le Calandre is the place for you.
With an adventurous palate you might sample the saffron, juniper and licorice powder risotto or the crispy buffalo ricotta and mozzarella cannelloni with tomato sauce. Simple presentation, great flavours and a knockout wine list has earned this restaurant 23rd best in the world in 2018. Chef Max Alajmo was also the youngest chef in history to receive three stars from the famed Michelin Guide. A must stop for a lovely night out in Padua.
We hope that you’re able to sample some of the best-in-class cuisines Italy has to offer on your upcoming visit. It’s definitely worth the trip.
