It takes one to know one, which is why when Peter Gilmore tells you a restaurant is good, you can trust it will be exceptional. The executive chef behind two of Australia’s most iconic restaurants — Quay and Bennelong — knows exactly what it takes to stand out from the crowd and continually delight diners. So following a recent trip to Italy, where he mentored the Oceania regional finalist Robin Wagner in the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy competition, we simply had to know: which Michelin-star restaurants in Italy are on his fine-dining hitlist? But before we reveal his top five Italian Michelin-star restaurants, an important word of advice from the master: pace yourself.
“The reality is you’re always going to have limited time when you’re travelling,” says Gilmore. “But don’t ever try to do two in the same day… If you can have a few days between these really special experiences, it’s best. And then just eat really simple food in between. Eat local and humble.”
While the temptation to cram in as many Michelin-star restaurant bookings as possible can be overwhelming, Gilmore says it can actually dull the experience. “I would rather pick three or four of the very best restaurants than go to 10 of the nearly best restaurants. Choose the ones that really interest you from your research and maybe stick to four in a two-week period. Don’t try to fit too many in.”
“A lot of these restaurants are a bit of a journey. You have to drive or catch trains. They are destination restaurants, and you’ve really got to put a bit of effort into getting to them,” says Gilmore.
But, he promises, that effort will be worthwhile. “You will really feel that reward from your pilgrimage.”
Osteria Francescana
Chef: Massimo Bottura
Location: Moderna
Michelin Stars: ★★★
“In my opinion, Massimo really started the modern Italian food movement and he is still the master of innovative cuisine. All of his dishes have an emotional story attached to them. Whether it be about the environment, or an experience, or a memory. He’s a very passionate individual and it comes across in the food. It varies from serious to whimsical but there is always an emotional intent in his dishes – and a beautiful balance of flavours.”
Lido 84
Chef: Riccardo Camanini
Location: Lake Garda
Michelin stars: ★
“Riccardo is such a lovely man, he runs the restaurant with his brother and it is very much a family restaurant – at a super high level. I had the most beautiful lunch there and it’s really the type of restaurant you want to go to during the day so you can appreciate the view. It’s right on the lake – it used to be a boat house. The restaurant inside is quite simple and humble but the setting is exquisite. His food is so delicious and creative. He has a real focus on pasta – his most famous dish is a pasta cooked in a pig’s bladder so the pasta never actually goes into water. You just feel so special being there.”
Piazza Duomo
Chef: Enrico Crippa
Location: Alba
Michelin stars: ★★★
“Piazza Duomo is in the main square of Alba. It’s just a couple of small rooms painted pink with a kitchen out the back so it’s all about what’s being served on the plate and what you’re drinking. Enrico is probably the chef closest to my philosophy of cooking. He’s really into his vegetable garden and grows the most beautiful vegetables. Alba is famous for Barolo and white truffles but he’s just got a way with vegetables – he’s so delicate with them and incorporates vegetables into all of his dishes. He’s very creative, using lots of extractions and juices and reductions. The flavours are incredibly well balanced but intense and show off his craft in cooking.”
Ristorante Reale
Chef: Niko Romito
Location: Castel di Sangro
Michelin stars: ★★★
“This is in the Abruzzo region of Italy so it’s a fair drive to get there. From Rome, it’s about four hours. It’s quite a hike but if you can stay there – there are rooms – they do the most amazing breakfast. It has the most impressive dining room, set inside a 16th-century monastery. It was falling down and they rebuilt it to become the restaurant. There are no more than 10 tables – maximum 30 people – and the luxury of space is incredible. Niko, the chef, is obsessed with vegetables. You can choose from a totally vegetable-focused menu or you can have a mix. He’s very singular in his obsession with trying to extract as much flavour from a single vegetable as possible and present it in different textures and cooked in different ways.”
Le Calandre
Chef: Max Alajmo
Location: Padua
Michelin stars: ★★★
“Le Calandre is in Padua, which is more of a regional town. The family started their restaurant years ago and now Max has taken it over. He’s a really creative chef and always pushing the boundaries. He makes the most extraordinary risotto. He’s similar to Massimo Bottura in terms of being very creative and consistent. The family has a pretty big empire now with restaurants all over Italy. But they still focus on the namesake restaurant and are often there.”
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