The best three-Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy
You do not need to look at the night sky to find stars. Here are Italy's three-Michelin-starred restaurants, ready to welcome you on an exceptional culinary tour across the country.
Every industry has its most coveted prizes, honours that acknowledge extraordinary talent and dedication on the global stage. Cinema has the Oscars, music has the Grammys and dining has the coveted Michelin stars.
Each year the famed and feared Michelin Guide assesses top-tier fine-dining restaurants working tirelessly to uphold or elevate their prestige. It is no easy task to secure and defend these stars, which top out at three, rewarding the chef and kitchen brigade while demanding uncompromising standards.
We at Flawless are setting off across Italy to explore the heights of starred haute cuisine featured in the Michelin Guide. Dress up and join us: here are the best restaurants in Italy with three Michelin stars.
Piazza Duomo ***
Piazza Risorgimento, 4, Alba (CN)
Once again this year, Piedmontese restaurant Piazza Duomo confirms its enduring excellence by retaining its three Michelin stars. In his culinary atelier, Chef Enrico Crippa celebrates the Langhe, elevating dishes in both flavour and aesthetics through the finest seasonal ingredients. For those seated in the pink dining room frescoed by artist Francesco Clemente, gazing out of the window is a memorable experience, rivalled only by the cooking itself.
Da Vittorio ***
Via Cantalupa, 17, Brusaporto (BG)
Lombard tradition and creative flair form the pillars of the menu at Da Vittorio, owned by the Cerea family, which holds three Michelin stars and a reputation, driven by Chef Enrico Cerea, that precedes it. Here, every palate is catered for, with meat, fish, game, raw seafood, truffles and mushrooms, alongside vegetarian and vegan options. Each course is interpreted with an original style, mindful of modern organic and health-conscious cuisine.
Dal Pescatore ***
Via Runate, 15, Canneto sull’Oglio (MN)
Top marks and three stars also go to Dal Pescatore, run by Chefs Nadia and Giovanni Santini, whose family has owned the restaurant since 1926. They define their cooking as a search for truth: a balance between simplicity and showcasing produce that reflects the generous spirit of the region. Dishes are interpreted creatively while staying rooted in local culinary heritage, with highlights including the lobster terrine with caviar and the famous tortelli di zucca with butter and Parmigiano Reggiano, handed down through three generations.
Ristorante Reale ***
Contrada Piana Santa Liberata, Castel di Sangro (AQ)
Reale is the starred restaurant led by Cristiana and Niko Romito. Far more than an exclusive dining spot for Italian and Abruzzese dishes, Reale is a true workshop where raw ingredients, research, simplicity and flavour converge to shape the future of gastronomy. Clean, minimalist interiors let Chef Romito’s creations take centre stage. It is an ongoing laboratory generating new dishes and concepts, making Romito a pride of Italian cuisine worldwide.
Enoteca Pinchiorri ***
Via Ghibellina, 87, Firenze
Elegant and sumptuous, just as Florentine art demands. Enoteca Pinchiorri, holding three Michelin stars, weaves together past, present and future for high-calibre cooking that evolves with meticulous attention to detail. Chef Annie Féolde leads a tight-knit team, dedicating time and care to every guest. The kitchen excels in respecting ingredients, creativity and technical mastery, paired with attentive, gracious service.
Enrico Bartolini ***
Via Tortona, 56, Milano
Fashion, art and haute cuisine: finding all three together is hardly surprising in Milan, least of all at the Michelin-starred restaurant run by Enrico Bartolini inside Mudec – Museo delle Culture, in the heart of the city’s design district. Intimate interiors, warm tones and a relaxing atmosphere provide the backdrop to what he calls ‘contemporary classicism’—cooking that explores new flavours while honouring Italian culinary roots.
Villa Crespi ***
Via Giuseppe Fava, 18, Orta San Giulio (NO)
Villa Crespi, led by Chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo, has earned its third Michelin star. Its reputation had long been established with two stars, but it has now officially entered the pantheon of world gastronomy. The historic hotel Villa Crespi in Orta San Giulio houses the restaurant, where Chef Cannavacciuolo and his talented brigade cook with heart, technique, balance and aesthetic precision, delivering emotion on every plate.
Osteria Francescana ***
Via Stella, 22, Modena
A memorable meal begins at the table, as Chef Angelo Bottura knows well. At his multi-starred Osteria Francescana, in the historic centre of Modena, Italian hospitality is honoured down to the finest details, from pressed tablecloths to polished silverware. Every course offers a discovery of the Italian landscape and a passion for culinary art, bringing together ideas, techniques and cultures. Striking sensations unfold with each dish while contemporary artworks by masters such as Cattelan, Hirst and Hanson catch your eye.
La Pergola ***
Via Alberto Cadlolo, 101, Roma
Inside the Rome Cavalieri hotel, part of the luxury Waldorf Astoria Hotel group, you will find La Pergola. Alongside sophisticated Michelin-starred cooking, impeccable service and a splendid setting, it offers guests an unparalleled panorama over the Basilica di San Pietro and the spectacular centre of Rome. Under the guidance of Chef Heinz Beck, La Pergola has become an international gastronomic sanctuary loved by locals and visitors alike. Historically the first and still the only restaurant with 3 Michelin stars in the capital, it enjoys a reputation as one of the finest and most beautiful dining destinations in the world.
Le Calandre ***
Via Liguria, 1, Rubano (PD)
Chef Max Alajmo has turned Le Calandre, near Padua, into an iconic destination, celebrated for holding three Michelin stars and for his distinct culinary philosophy. Soft lighting and warm leather tones frame food defined by lightness, depth of flavour and reverence for produce. It is an approach rewarded with Michelin’s highest distinction, reflected in a seasonal menu that invites diners into a rich sensory journey.
Uliassi ***
Banchina di Levante, 6, Senigallia (AN)
Siblings Catia and Mauro Uliassi opened their eponymous restaurant in Senigallia, their hometown, in 1990 to bring to the table not only dishes of haute cuisine, but all their enthusiasm, sharing their passion with their guests just as the two chef-entrepreneurs did. Uliassi overlooks the sea, magnificent in summer and atmospheric throughout the year, but above all it is a place full of energy that is experienced first and foremost through taste. What began almost as a game in ’90 is today a solid business of over 30 people awarded 3 Michelin stars, 5 Espresso hats and 3 Gambero Rosso forks.
