Il Sole di Ranco
Restaurant of a Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux and hotel on a lake
Davide Brovelli was given the keys to the cuisine of Il Sole di Ranco by his father, Carlo. This family heritage was create more than 150 years ago on the banks of Lake Maggiore (which you can explore in a private boat). Davide’s “touch”: a fusion of regional specialities like risotto alla milanese and audacious recipes where fish from the Lake are the star performers - sturgeon cooked in hay perfumed with ginger and ginseng, smoked trout with brazed leeks, capers and confit lemons… Sunshine cuisine to be savoured under the arbours whilst taking in the exquisite panorama. ...Read more
Italy, Ranco

Villa Fiordaliso
Hotel and restaurant on a lake
If Romeo and Juliet had enjoyed a happier ending to their story, you could easily have imagined it being played out here. 20 minutes from Verona, the two lovers would have met secretly on the banks of Lake Garda - one of the largest and most charming in Italy. Like you, they would have strolled along the pontoon and private beach of Villa Fiordaliso, a neoclassic marvel with its facades of Siena stone, its long hedges of lemon trees and its lounge decorated with Venetian stained glass. They would have taken refuge in a delightfully romantic room named after a flower: Iris, Mimosa, Orchid, Magnolia… and would perhaps have lingered in the elegant piano bar in the San Marco Tower which overlooks the water. And then? Well, you write the rest… ...Read more
Italy, Gardone Riviera

dal Pescatore Santini
Restaurant of a Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux in the country
When the grandparents of Antonio Santini opened the Pescatore in 1926, it was a small family restaurant. Today it is one of the most renowned restaurants in Italy. Between Cremona and Mantua, in the Parco dell’Oglio nature reserve, the four members of the family share the tasks. At the stoves, Nadia and Giovanni prepare nostalgic, abundant cuisine: frogs legs gratineed in fine herbs, pike in virgin olive oil from Umbria, with parsley, anchovies and capers or tortellini with goat’s cheese, ricotta and white Alba truffles. In the dining room, Antonio and Alberto instill a warm atmosphere and uncork their best bottles - grands crus from France and Italy. ...Read more
Italy, Canneto S/O

Da Vittorio
Restaurant of a Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux and hotel in the country
Just half an hoaur from Milan, with its haute couture temples and irresistible shopping temptations, the Cerea family has created a residence that has subscribed up to excellence and Italian style. Da Vittorio is first and foremost a charming villa with its gardens and the two lakes nearby. Just ten minutes from Bergamo, it also extends an invitation to a gourmet journey to savour Lombard specialties such as polenta, cheese and meat. The chefs, Enrico and Roberto Cerea, treat cuisine like stylists. The hotel, which also has a traditional patisserie and an exquisite wine cellar - has launched a “Gourmandise Line” so you can even take some of the treats home with you. ...Read more
Italy, Brusaporto

Antica Osteria del Ponte
Restaurant of a Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux in the country
The small town of Cassinetta, just a few kilometres from Milan, can pride itself on having an exceptional chef, Ezio Santin. His authentic cuisine can be savoured in a charming 16th century inn. With the emphasis on freshness and delicacy, he brings a breath of fresh air to pasta and many other Italian specialities. “Anyone can make good pasta… that’s the problem with this dish. Its popularity tends to trivialise it. My desire is to make it exceptional once again”. A vision that constantly inspires him to develop new compositions, like spaghetti à la… carbonara, ravioli stuffed with mountain taleggio cheese or pesto with rocket and red pepper cream… A festival of finesse, in all its simplicity. ...Read more
Italy, Cassinetta di Lugagnano

L’Albereta et Restaurant Gualtiero Marchesi
Restaurant of a Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux and hotel in the country
Press a button and, like magic, the ceiling of your room will open. You can fall asleep contemplating the stars from your four-poster bed… This is just one of the many enchanting features which delight guests staying at the Albereta, a former manor tucked away in a century-old park amongst the Franciacorta vines. You have to choose: vield to the appetising temptation of culinary delights by indulging in the Total Cuisine of chef Gualtiero Marchesi, father of modern Italian cuisine, or go for a work-out in the Espace Vitalité Henri Chenot: 1,400 m2 of pure vitality and wellness made-to-measure. The Albereta knows how to offer you experiences you will never forget. ...Read more
Italy, Erbusco