Borgo Nuovo Restaurant Lounge

They say that in a journey the destination is not as important as the path to reach it. And in many ways I agree with this. But in the specific case of this dining experience, both the journey and the arrival at destination were incredibly amazing! To get to Chiaravalle, a small charming village just outside Milan, in the Parco Agricolo Sud, famous for its magnificent Abbey inhabited by Cistercian monks, I had to walk for some Kilometres through green fields brushed by bright red. They were poppies. Thousands of red poppies.

Driving without the help of a GPS, I thought I got lost. I liked that feeling of strangeness. Another me, suspended and excited while looking around and seeing nothing but expanses of plants, flowers and some ruins of old farmhouses. No other car in the narrow road that I was travelling on, until I saw the Abbey’s bell tower in the distance. And I knew I was close.

Borgo Nuovo Restaurant Lounge is in another place. In a Milan you do not expect. Here there is another way of understanding the city, surrounded by green and history. Far away from everything and everyone. From traffic and noise. The restaurant is very beautiful: cosy and elegant, exposed beams, shabby chic furniture, lots of wood and soft colours. Designer lamps are pulled up in perfect harmony alongside raw materials. Essential mise en place.

I take a look at the menu and I immediately recognise great attention to details and excellence both on the table as in the paper. The wines, they write, are chosen preferring small and organic producers. Lovely outdoor seating area, with scattered tables, fruit trees and a beautiful pergola to frame the eyes. We spent a wonderful hour eating excellent dishes.

For a special occasion you could also stop in bed in the splendid and homonymous recently renovated hotel, adjacent to the restaurant, where the timeless charm of the 40s-inspired furniture meets modernity, creating a refined atmosphere. 11 rooms, including 4 suites and 7 superior, with all comfort. Leave the car in Porta Romana and reach the destination by bike, in the prepared cycle path. Come and try it and tell me if the journey is as good as the destination. For me in this case yes!