This article is published in number 21 of Vanity Fair on newsstands until May 25, 2021
The view over the city: Malvezzi Castle, Brescia
The building is ancient, romantic, surrounded by centuries-old trees, and since 1590 it has dominated the city of Brescia from the Colle di San Giuseppe, one of the favorite destinations of Brescia for walking in the summer. The historic villa has been a restaurant since 1978 and chef Alberto Riboldi has been in command of the kitchen since 2013. The rustic and elegant outdoor area is ideal for lunch or dinner en plein air tasting innovative and local haute cuisine dishes, such as spaghetti al nero Felicetti selection with Caviar Calvisius Tradition – among the most popular – or Scartoss de Mercat, in the Brescia dialect the bag of fish from the market (in the photo).
Perfect destination for an out of town while staying in the city (castellomalvezzi.com).
The mirage of the sea: La Peschiera, Monopoli
The concept of “pieds das l’eau” becomes a reality in this mirage-like terrace, which in its colors reminds a little of how close Puglia is to Greece: at the Saleblu restaurant of the boutique hotel La Peschiera, in Losciale (Monopoli), the catch of the day prevails, but also the Apulian cuisine (a sophisticated version that, cheers, remains true) to be enjoyed in the shade of the reeds in the wind is no exception. The idea of stopping in this blue and white idyll and occupying one of the 13 rooms facing the horizon here is a calculated risk. And it is immediately room service on the veranda (peschierahotel.com).
A lounge on the lake: Capriccio, Manerba del Garda
Impeccable elegance, a few tables on the terrace surrounded by the park, the spectacle of the lake, cheerful and Mediterranean for lunch, intense and romantic for dinner, and sensory cuisine, which draws on the classics of Italian cuisine and the best products of the Garda area . These are the ingredients that have earned Giuliana Germiniasi, chef, and Francesca Tassi, room manager (mother and daughter), a Michelin star. In paper, king krab, mashed potato and coconut and mint emulsion (in the photo), polenta tart with creamed carpione and Garda lemons, risotto with Bagòss, oyster and caviar bottarga (restaurantecapriccio.it).
Cotoletta & The City: Dal Milanese, Milan
It has just been born, but the atmosphere promises very well, a little Iannacci, a little De Niro, but also a little bit of Milanese families (honored by the very Milan parquet). Windows open onto the street as in a large loft, Venini lamps on the elegant counter but also 80’s photos and vinyl music (Battisti, Mina, Nada…). The new Trattoria & Bar by Luca Guelfi, in a former bakery in Viale Premuda (16), not far from the “brothers” Canteen, Shimokita and Oyster Bar, is something that wasn’t there. The Milanese classics on the menu: from mondeghili to schnitzel, plus a hilarious “Milano da Bere” section – yes, there are also shrimp cocktails in pink sauce and farfalle with salmon. The kitchen will be open from 12 to midnight 7 days a week. Friendly staff, light air, you want to stay late on the road by ordering another dessert. Good luck (lucaguelficompany.com).
Getting lost in the woods: Castel Fragsburg, Merano
A rocky corner of the forest where the red roofs stand out like alpine mushrooms: Castel Fragsburg, the smallest 5-star hotel in South Tyrol, has been there for almost 400 years above Merano. Alexander Ortner is the castellan of the former hunting lodge dated 1624, whose restaurant is equally unique: in the kitchen there is Egon Heiss, the starred chef from Val Sarentino who, after crowned heads and stars, took refuge here to study the recipes of his grandparents. He is a lover of the perfect dumpling and bread: imagine breakfast (fragsburg.com; suedtirol.info).
Under the moon in Trastevere: Antica Pesa, Rome
When the sliding awning that acts as a roof opens, the internal courtyard becomes an outdoor area with a view of the sky of Rome. In the heart of Trastevere, Antica Pesa has been a bastion of Roman and Italian tradition since 1922. Now it is the turn of the fourth generation, the three Panella brothers: Lorenzo, Simone, the executive chef author of impeccable carbonara pasta (in the photo), all’amatriciana and cacio e pepe, and Francesco, the “frontman” of the trio, in the dining room, when the world does not travel to represent and defend the authenticity of Italian cuisine with successful TV broadcasts. Ora Antica Pesa triples: in addition to its sister venue in Brooklyn, opened years ago, it lands on the island of Cavallo in Corsica with a temporary restaurant at the Hôtel & Spa Des Pêcheurs (anticapesa.it).
The story on the plate: Cacciatori, Cartosio
Among the hills of Monferrato, in the silence of the woods and rows of vines from which great wines are born, you can breathe the peace and history, that of the Milano family, which in Cartosio (Alessandria), since 1818, has been handing down traditional recipes which have made the Cacciatori restaurant a gourmet destination where you dream of returning. In the dining room, for now in the terrace with a view of the valley, there is Massimo; in the kitchen, ruled only by women in the last hundred years, is his wife Federica, who uses the best ingredients from land and sea to prepare dishes with unique flavors on a wood stove (cacciatoricartosio.com).
The almost secret garden: Giacomo Pietrasanta, Versilia
Sea, sun, large carpaccio and shellfish dishes and a great desire for freedom. A first taste of the approaching summer is hidden in one of the most evocative private gardens of Versilia. Giacomo Pietrasanta, one of the eight places (the others are in Milan) of the historic group founded in 1958 by Giacomo Bulleri, recalls the original Milanese restaurant in via Sottocorno 6: timeless style, discreet elegance, extraordinary raw material proposed in traditional dishes by chef Alessandro Montanari and an excellent wine list to celebrate the summer, paired with oysters and raw fish (giacomomilano.com).
Wide views: Otto Geleng, Taormina
Not knowing where to look: whether the dish, Otto di mare by chef Roberto Toro, or the scene around it. Only 8 Michelin-starred tables in a terrace of a noble residence, embroidered tablecloths, oil lamps: at the Otto Geleng restaurant of the Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo, Sicilian intimacy, scenery and haute cuisine come together in an effect at risk of emotion. And the Greek Theater is around the corner, acting as a backdrop (belmond.com). (In the gallery above, the restaurants and their dishes).
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