Ristorante Santa Virginia

A web of narrow and convoluted alleys envelops the passerby with the charming touch of the old Milan; the story that Brera tells us is a bewitching past of beauty, which lives today in the small laboratories of niche perfumeries, in exclusive fashion boutiques, in tearooms and in the bustling wine shops that love life. In Brera, there is a place dedicated to every conceivable facet of beauty, any whim, thought, temptation, in Brera can be realized. It is our Wonderland and we are Alice. Actually, we are Virginia. Virginia who walks through the historic district with her brother Francesco and is enchanted by the Parisian allure of the place. This is how Ristorante Santa Virginia was born, the result of a love for the Italian culinary tradition, for art and for creative innovation.

Francesco Sciacca is the creator and owner of Santa Virginia. He dedicates the restaurant to his  milanesiculopugliesi roots (that is from Milan, Sicily and Puglia, as he likes to say)  and to his sister Virginia, whose singular class and innate sense of style have become an inspiration for both the environment and the dishes.

The chef, Diego Pecchia, a student of Paola Budel, remains faithful to the gastronomic identity of our country, respecting the seasonality and origin of the raw materials, but also enjoys adding to the menu  touches of  experimentation. Consider, for example, the salmon burger with black sesame, burrata, basmati rice and guacamole mayonnaise: a gem of the May menu recommended to anyone who feels the need to leave – at least with the thought! – for an exciting exotic holiday.

The menu is renewed every month, leaving maximum freedom to artistic expression and worthily celebrating the seasonality of the ingredients. In addition to the news, the Classics of Santa Virginia are always present, dedicated to the lovers of tradition. Saffron risotto with roast sauce can be an excellent idea to celebrate the old Milan and to toast its ancient gem, the shining Brera.

If we have a yellow risotto from Milan, we find fresh orecchiette from Puglia, combined, in the May proposal, with a delicate shrimp ragout with rocket pesto and a burrata heart. Sicilian influences, on the other hand, smell first of all in lemon, they find themselves bursting into the crunchy pistachio and the enchanting almond and finally declare themselves in the sincerity of a sweet caponata.

In our Wonderland a place like this could not be missing. Worthy completion of an enchanting walk through the streets of Brera, Ristorante Santa Virginia was born to tell the palate, the eyes and the heart the story of a dream come true.