Wine Spectator Award-Winning Restaurants in Italy

Acanto

Milan, Italy

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Inside the Principe di Savoia hotel on Piazza della Repubblica, Acanto holds a Michelin Plate across consecutive years for Italian cooking that grounds itself in tradition while applying modern technique. The risotto alla Milanese is a reference point on the menu, and a wine list of 1,700 selections with a 375-bottle-deep by-the-glass and available programme gives the room genuine depth beyond the plate.

Also recognized by World's Best Wine Lists Awards

Achilli al Parlamento

Rome, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Tasting menus draw on traditional Italian foundations with Campania influences, while a vast selection of wines by the glass and a walk-in boutique reflect the establishment's origins as an enoteca.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, Star Wine List

Acquolina

Rome, Italy

2 Michelin stars · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Inside The First Roma Arte hotel near Piazza del Popolo, Acquolina holds two Michelin stars and an 85-point La Liste score for 2026, placing it among Rome's most recognised creative tables. Chef Daniele Lippi runs two tasting menus built around seafood and selective meat courses, backed by a wine list that runs to roughly a thousand labels. This is where serious Roman fine dining meets genuine generosity of portion and spirit.

Also recognized by Falstaff, La Liste, Opinionated About Dining

Affinatore

Milan, Italy

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

One of the few Italian restaurants authorised to serve certified Kobe beef, Affinatore on Via Piero della Francesca occupies a confidently specialist position in Milan's dining scene. Its 3-Star accreditation from the World of Fine Wine Awards and Global Winner recognition confirm a wine program that competes at the highest tier. The focus is dry-aged beef from select global sources, paired with a wine list built for serious collectors.

Also recognized by Star Wine List, World's Best Wine Lists Awards

Al Gatto Nero

Burano, Italy

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

On Burano’s storybook canals, Al Gatto Nero distills Venetian lagoon life into a quietly luxurious dining experience. This cherished, family-run trattoria honors half a century of tradition with a menu anchored by pristine local catch—think tagliolini crowned with sweet granseola, spaghetti laced with delicate Bevarasse clams, and the emblematic risotto alla buranella, its silken grains infused with ghiozzo, a tiny fish native to these waters. Unfussy yet refined, the service is warm and precise; the terrace, in summer, is serenaded by sunlight on ripples and the gentle hum of island life. For the informed traveler, it’s a rare intersection of authenticity and elegance—an intimate taste of Venice as the Venetians cherish it.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining

Antica Bottega Del Vino

Verona, Italy

Wine Spectator Grand Award

Among Verona's most serious wine destinations, Antica Bottega Del Vino holds a 4,700-label list backed by an inventory of 22,000 bottles, with particular depth in Tuscany, Piedmont, and the Veneto. Ranked #554 in Opinionated About Dining's Casual Europe list for 2025, it operates from a historic vicolo in the city centre and serves lunch and dinner daily, eleven until midnight.

Also recognized by Falstaff, Opinionated About Dining

Antica Pesa

Rome, Italy

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Housed in a former Papal State grain storehouse on Via Garibaldi in Trastevere, Antica Pesa has held a Michelin Plate since 2024 and carries a wine list of 240 selections weighted toward Tuscany and Italy. The kitchen works through the Roman canon with carefully sourced ingredients, and the room balances history with contemporary art on a mid-range price point that sits well below Rome's starred fine-dining tier.

Atto di Vito Mollica

Florence, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

A Michelin-starred dinner in a frescoed Renaissance palazzo behind the Duomo, Atto di Vito Mollica positions itself at the serious end of Florence's contemporary Italian scene. The kitchen, led by chefs Rosario Bernardo and Paolo Acunto, draws on high-quality Tuscan and Umbrian ingredients with a marked lean toward seafood and unexpected flavour combinations. Wine director Clizia Zuin oversees a cellar of 5,400 bottles with particular depth in Burgundy, Champagne, and Piedmont.

Also recognized by Falstaff

Bistrot

Forte dei Marmi, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

A Michelin-starred seafood address in Forte dei Marmi, Bistrot earns its single star through rigorous Tyrrhenian sourcing and a kitchen that handles wood-fired technique with as much discipline as it does raw ingredients. The wine cellar runs to nearly 2,000 labels, with notable depth in Champagne and Burgundy. At the €€€€ tier, it sits among the resort town's most serious dining commitments.

Also recognized by We're Smart World

Cannavacciuolo Le Cattedrali Asti

Asti, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Set across 18 hectares of Piedmontese woodland outside Asti, Cannavacciuolo Le Cattedrali earns its Michelin star through creative cuisine that draws on regional produce and traditional Piedmont flavours, overseen by three-Michelin-star chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo.

Capriccio

Manerba del Garda, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

A Michelin-starred address on the western shore of Lake Garda, Capriccio has anchored Manerba del Garda's dining reputation since 1965. The kitchen centres on seafood, with a handful of dishes that have appeared on the menu since opening day, set against a terrace that catches the lake light and a wine list strong in Champagne and German Riesling.

Caracol

Bacoli, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Caracol sits on a promontory above Bacoli with sightlines across to Procida, Ischia, and Capri — a setting that would carry a lesser kitchen. Angelo Carannante holds a Michelin star and answers the view with a long tasting menu that reinterprets Campanian coastal traditions through creativity and the occasional unexpected flourish. Dinner runs Tuesday through Friday from 7 PM, with lunch added on weekends.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining

Casa D'Angelo

Fara Filiorum Petri, Italy

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Casa D'Angelo occupies a converted family home in the hilltop village of Fara Filiorum Petri, serving Abruzzese regional cuisine that moves between tradition and careful invention. A Michelin Plate holder earning, it pitches at the €€ tier and offers a four-course tasting menu that represents particularly honest value in the province. The restaurant produces its own extra-virgin olive oil, which threads through the cooking as both ingredient and statement of provenance.

Cocun Cellar Restaurant

San Cassiano, Italy

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Housed in the cellars of Ciasa Salares hotel in San Cassiano, Cocun Cellar Restaurant earns its name from the Ladin word for cork — a fitting tribute to a wine list spanning 505 selections and 7,500 bottles, with particular depth in Italy, France, and California. The kitchen draws ingredients from across the globe, anchored by grill-forward contemporary cooking and a Michelin Plate for 2024 and 2025.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

Cortile Spirito Santo

Syracuse, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Set within Palazzo Salomone Luxury Suites at the southernmost tip of Ortigia, Cortile Spirito Santo holds a 2024 Michelin star and a Star Wine List White Star recognition. Chef Giuseppe Torrisi works with the produce and culinary signatures of Sicily's baroque interior, and sommelier Antonino steers a wine list that runs from Etna labels to international selections. Open Tuesday through Sunday from 7:30 PM.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

Cracco in Galleria

Milan, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Grand Award

Inside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, one of Milan's most recognisable 19th-century arcades, Cracco in Galleria holds a Michelin star and an OAD Top 100 Europe ranking. Chef Luca Sacchi leads a tasting menu and à la carte that reference contemporary Italian technique while keeping classic Milanese touchstones — notably vitello alla Milanese — in frame. The wine programme, spanning 2,500 selections and 18,000 bottles, is among the more comprehensive French-leaning lists in Italy.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, World's 50 Best, World's Best Wine Lists Awards

Cracco Portofino

Portofino, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Cracco Portofino occupies the harbour-front space once held by the historic Il Pitosforo, with executive chef Mattia Pecis running two tasting menus — seven or eleven courses — that draw on Ligurian ingredients, including produce from a mountain farm above the village. A fish-ageing cold room sets it apart from the region's more conventional seafood kitchens, and the terrace above the water is among the more sought-after tables on the Italian Riviera.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, The Best Chef

Cucina

Florence, Italy

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

A Michelin Plate-recognised trattoria in Florence's Oltrarno district, Cucina operates on a daily-changing menu built around whatever Marc Albino finds at the market that morning. Wood-fired cooking, a 1,850-bottle wine list overseen by Wine Director Tanner Scarr, and a dining room lined with cookery books set the tone: serious about produce, relaxed about everything else. Two-course dinners run in the €40–65 range.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining

Dalla Gioconda

Gabicce Monte, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

At the highest point of Gabicce Monte, Dalla Gioconda occupies the shell of a storied local dance hall and has rebuilt itself as one of the Adriatic coast's most carefully considered progressive Italian restaurants. Chef Davide Di Fabio, formed at Osteria Francescana under Massimo Bottura, anchors the menu in Marche territory produce and the restaurant's own garden, backed by a cellar of 9,000 bottles and consistent recognition from La Liste and Opinionated About Dining.

Also recognized by La Liste, Opinionated About Dining, Star Wine List, The Best Chef

Del Cambio

Turin, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Operating from Piazza Carignano since the 18th century, Del Cambio holds a singular position in Turin's fine dining circuit: a room where Cavour once dined, now earning a Michelin star and 91 points from La Liste 2026 under chef Matteo Baronetto's progressive Piedmontese kitchen. The wine list runs to 3,200 selections and 15,000 bottles in inventory, with particular depth in regional Italian and German Riesling verticals.

Also recognized by La Liste, Opinionated About Dining, Star Wine List

Duomo

Ragusa, Italy

2 Michelin stars · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Two-Michelin-starred Duomo Ragusa showcases Chef Ciccio Sultano's deeply personal interpretation of Sicilian cuisine within an intimate baroque palace setting. Located steps from the historic Duomo di San Giorgio, this celebrated restaurant transforms island traditions into contemporary haute cuisine through signature dishes like sea urchin pasta and an extraordinary Sicilian wine program.

Also recognized by Falstaff, La Liste, Les Grandes Tables du Monde, Opinionated About Dining

Enoteca Pinchiorri

Florence, Italy

3 Michelin stars · Wine Spectator Grand Award

One of Italy's eleven three-Michelin-star restaurants, Enoteca Pinchiorri has occupied its 17th-century palazzo on Via Ghibellina since 1972, building one of Europe's most celebrated wine cellars alongside a kitchen that draws from both Italian and French traditions. Rated 94 points on La Liste 2026 and ranked in the Opinionated About Dining Classical Europe list, it operates dinner service Tuesday through Saturday at the upper tier of Florentine fine dining.

Also recognized by Falstaff, La Liste, Les Grandes Tables du Monde, Opinionated About Dining

Famiglia Rana

Oppeano, Italy

2 Michelin stars · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Set within the Feniletto Nature Oasis outside Verona, Famiglia Rana earned its first Michelin star in 2024 under chef Francesco Sodano, whose three tasting menus move between Campanian tradition, experimental technique, and a vegetable-garden-led format. The setting — wooded gardens, stables, an organic orchard — frames a restaurant that operates at the summit end of rural fine dining in the Veneto, ranked 558th among Europe's top restaurants by Opinionated About Dining in 2025.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, The Best Chef

George Restaurant

Naples, Italy

2 Michelin stars · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Two Michelin stars and a 90-point La Liste score place George Restaurant among the more decorated tables in Naples. Chef Domenico Candela works Campanian produce through French-trained technique from an open kitchen on the rooftop terrace of Grand Hotel Parker's, with Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples filling the view behind every plate.

Also recognized by Falstaff, La Liste, Les Grandes Tables du Monde, Opinionated About Dining

Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura

Florence, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

On Piazza della Signoria, where Florence's political history plays out in stone and bronze, Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura holds a Michelin star for cooking that moves between Emilian technique, Tuscan produce, and Japanese precision. Tortellini in Parmesan cream is among the signatures. The wine list runs to nearly 700 selections, weighted toward Tuscany, Burgundy, and Champagne, with 4,310 bottles in inventory.

Also recognized by Falstaff, Opinionated About Dining

Il Convivio Troiani

Rome, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

A Michelin-starred address a short walk from Piazza Navona, Il Convivio Troiani has anchored Rome's fine-dining scene since the early 1990s. The Troiani brothers — Angelo in the kitchen, Giuseppe and Massimo in the dining room — built their reputation on personalised contemporary Italian cooking that honours regional tradition without being bound by it. A wine cellar of 3,600 labels, including vertical collections accessible by the glass via Coravin, makes it a serious destination for wine-focused diners.

Also recognized by Falstaff, Star Wine List

Il Pagliaccio

Rome, Italy

2 Michelin stars · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

On Via dei Banchi Vecchi, Il Pagliaccio holds two Michelin stars and a place in the La Liste global top tier, where Anthony Genovese's tasting menus move fluidly between Italian regional technique and Japanese reference points. The wine list runs to approximately 1,750 selections with a cellar of around 10,000 bottles. Dinner runs Tuesday through Friday, with Saturday lunch and dinner service available.

Also recognized by Falstaff, La Liste, Les Grandes Tables du Monde, Opinionated About Dining

Il Palagio

Florence, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Il Palagio Florence brings Michelin-starred sophistication to Palazzo della Gherardesca, where Chef Paolo Lavezzini's Italian-Brazilian menu progression creates unexpected magic within neo-Classical elegance. Surrounded by historic gardens, this evening sanctuary reinterprets Tuscan traditions through the chef's distinctive South American perspective.

Also recognized by Falstaff, Opinionated About Dining, Star Wine List

Il Poeta Contadino

Alberobello, Italy

Wine Spectator Grand Award

Il Poeta Contadino on Via Indipendenza sits at the serious end of Alberobello's dining scene, pairing regional Puglian cooking with a wine list of 2,800 selections and 25,000 bottles in inventory. Lunch and dinner service runs at a mid-range price point, while the cellar prices into premium territory.

Also recognized by World's Best Wine Lists Awards

Il Tufo Allegro

Pitigliano, Italy

Wine Spectator Grand Award

Carved into the tufa rock beneath Pitigliano's medieval streets, Il Tufo Allegro holds a 2025 Michelin Plate for Tuscan cooking grounded in local olive oil, cured meats, and cheeses sourced from the surrounding Maremma. The wine cellar, hewn from the same volcanic stone, carries over 5,850 selections. For the price bracket, the depth of both kitchen and list is difficult to match in this corner of southern Tuscany.

Imàgo

Rome, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Perched atop the Spanish Steps inside the Hassler Hotel, Imàgo holds a Michelin star, a World's Best Wine Lists 3-Star Accreditation, and a La Liste score of 86.5 points. Chef Andrea Antonini runs two tasting menus across a dining room where floor-to-ceiling windows frame Rome's skyline from Trinità dei Monti to the Capitol. The wine list spans 1,450 selections across 22,000 bottles, with particular depth in Piedmont, Tuscany, and Burgundy.

Also recognized by Falstaff, La Liste, Opinionated About Dining, Star Wine List

Iris Ristorante

Verona, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Housed in the medieval Palazzo Soave on Via Leoni, Iris Ristorante holds a Michelin star and occupies a distinctive position in Verona's fine-dining tier: contemporary, regionally rooted cooking with a green-forward menu, Adriatic fish, and a wine list of over 800 labels. The setting spans a 14th-century wine cellar, where aperitivi are served, and a dining room where Roman stonework meets modern furnishings.

Also recognized by Falstaff

La Casa degli Spiriti

Costermano, Italy

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Perched above Lake Garda in a restored farmhouse that the Chignola family has operated for nearly three decades, La Casa degli Spiriti holds a Michelin Plate for its regionally rooted modern cuisine. Chef Filippo works the ground-floor veranda restaurant while brother Lorenzo manages a cellar of over 1,300 labels. A separate upstairs osteria offers a more casual format with the same lake views.

La Ciau del Tornavento

Treiso, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Grand Award

Perched above the Barbaresco hills near Alba, La Ciau del Tornavento holds a Michelin star and an Opinionated About Dining Classical Europe ranking (163rd in 2025) that together locate it inside Piedmont's serious dining tier. Chef Marco Lombardo's menu moves across Piemontese tradition and contemporary Italian cooking, backed by a wine cellar of 60,000 bottles and 5,800 selections spanning Piedmont, Burgundy, and Bordeaux.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, Star Wine List

La Pergola

Rome, Italy

3 Michelin stars · Wine Spectator Grand Award

Rome's only three-Michelin-star restaurant, La Pergola sits atop the Roma Cavalieri hotel on Monte Mario hill, where chef Heinz Beck has held the kitchen since 1994 and sommelier Marco Reitano commands one of Italy's most decorated wine programs. Recognised by La Liste (96.5 points in 2025) and Les Grandes Tables du Monde, it occupies a tier of its own in the Italian capital's fine dining hierarchy.

Also recognized by Falstaff, La Liste, Les Grandes Tables du Monde, Opinionated About Dining

La Pergola

Sorrento, Italy

Wine Spectator Grand Award

La Pergola sits at the formal end of Sorrento dining, where chef Heinz Beck's Mediterranean-seasonal cooking meets a wine program spanning 4,000 selections and 80,000 bottles. Ranked among the leading classical European restaurants by Opinionated About Dining in both 2023 and 2024, it operates as the Amalfi Coast's most serious argument for pairing depth over spectacle.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, Relais Chateaux

La Piola

Alba, Italy

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

On Piazza Risorgimento in the heart of Alba, La Piola occupies the casual register of the Ceretto family and Enrico Crippa partnership, offering Piemontese cooking at a price point well below their three-Michelin-starred Piazza Duomo next door. Ranked #434 on Opinionated About Dining's Casual Europe list in 2024, it draws a wine list of 350 selections and 15,000 bottles curated by Wine Director Jacopo Dosio — serious infrastructure for a trattoria-format room.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining

Langosteria

Milan, Italy

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Holding a Michelin Plate in 2025 and a wine list of 2,140 selections running deep in Burgundy and Champagne, it occupies a specific tier: Mediterranean-focused, high-spend, and consistently full.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, Star Wine List

Le Petit Bellevue

Cogne, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Le Petit Bellevue elevates Italian contemporary cuisine with imaginative technique, seasonal ingredients, and refined service. Discover a chef-driven tasting menu where handmade pastas, pristine seafood, and artful plating meet a notable cellar of Italian and global wines. Ideal for romantic dinners, informed travelers, and celebrations, this intimate destination blends modern elegance with soulful Italian flavors in a polished, cosmopolitan setting.

Also recognized by Relais Chateaux, Star Wine List

LoRo

Trescore Balneario, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Chef Eduardo Vuolo works in a creative Italian register with a pronounced lean toward sea-forward flavors, generous portions, and intense finishes. The wine list runs to 1,500 bottles, with particular depth in France and Italy.

Nerina

Romeno, Italy

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

A Michelin Bib Gourmand holder for consecutive years, Nerina has served the Val di Non for more than five decades under the Di Nuzzo family. The kitchen draws on Trentino staples — casolèt cheese, Valsugana maize, mortandela salami — alongside produce from the restaurant's own vegetable garden, keeping prices at the accessible end of the regional dining spectrum while maintaining consistent recognition from the Guide Rouge.

Osteria del Viandante

Rubiera, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Osteria del Viandante occupies the first floor of a 13th-century military fort in Rubiera, where chef Jacopo Malpeli holds a Michelin star for cooking rooted in the Parma-Reggio culinary tradition. Five frescoed dining rooms, a wine list of 2,500 selections, and a menu that honours the region's foundational cooking make this among the more serious addresses in Emilia-Romagna.

Piazza Duomo

Alba, Italy

3 Michelin stars · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Piazza Duomo places Alba’s truffle-and-Barolo identity inside a progressive Italian frame, with Enrico Crippa’s plant-led menus pulling the Langhe into a far more technical register. The draw is not only Michelin three-star status, La Liste 96 points for 2026, or its long World’s 50 Best Restaurants run, but the way regional produce becomes the grammar of the meal rather than a decorative accent.

Also recognized by Falstaff, La Liste, Les Grandes Tables du Monde, Opinionated About Dining

Principe Cerami

Taormina, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Principe Cerami holds a Michelin star inside the San Domenico Palace, a former monastery perched above the Ionian Sea in Taormina. Chef Massimo Mantarro's kitchen draws from across Sicily, with seasonal produce, coastal ingredients, and the island's volcanic interior all represented. The wine list runs to 1,190 selections, with particular depth in Sicily, Italy, and France.

Principe di Belludia

Noto, Italy

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

The gourmet restaurant at Il San Corrado di Noto sits in the rural hinterland of Sicily's Baroque south, where executive chef Martin Lazarov applies a creative lens to the island's produce with a pronounced emphasis on vegetables. Holding a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025, Principe di Belludia occupies the upper tier of Val di Noto dining and draws guests willing to combine serious cooking with a resort setting.

Also recognized by Relais Chateaux, World's Best Wine Lists Awards

Rinaldi Al Quirinale

Rome, Italy

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Rinaldi Al Quirinale occupies a measured position in Rome's serious wine-dining circuit, recognised by Star Wine List with a White Star accreditation and a 3-Star Award from the World of Fine Wine & Lifestyle Awards.

Also recognized by Falstaff, Star Wine List, World's Best Wine Lists Awards

Ristorante del Lago

Rome, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

A Michelin-starred address in the Apennine hills above Romagna, Ristorante del Lago operates from the village of Acquapartita at nearly 800 metres, where the Bravaccini brothers build tightly regional menus around mushrooms, trout, game, and wild boar. The wine list runs to almost 1,600 labels across two volumes, earning recognition from Star Wine List in 2024. Open Wednesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner, it sits in a different competitive register from Rome's urban fine-dining circuit.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

Ristorante Don Camillo

Siracusa, Italy

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Don Camillo occupies a 15th-century tufa-walled dining room on Via della Maestranza in Syracuse's Ortigia, holding a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025 and a White Star from Star Wine List. The restaurant runs four named menus, including Miteco, Artemide, Archestrato, and La Nostra Storia, each built around ambitious Sicilian cuisine with serious wine credentials.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

Ristorante Umberto a Mare

Forio, Italy

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Positioned beneath the Church of Soccorso on Ischia's western shore, Umberto a Mare holds a Michelin Plate (2025) and the Star Wine List #1 ranking for 2026. The kitchen runs contemporary Campanian seafood, with a tasting menu anchored to the day's catch and a cellar of over 1,500 labels spanning Champagne, French classics, and German Riesling.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

San Giorgio

Genoa, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

The kitchen works a Mediterranean line with strong regional roots, reviving preparations like meat-stuffed lettuce in capon broth alongside modern technique. Positioned near Brignole station on Viale Brigata Bisagno, it sits at the upper end of the city's dining tier at €€€ pricing.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

San Marco

Canelli, Italy

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

A temple to Piedmontese tradition, San Marco in Canelli serves impeccably crafted classics—agnolottini del plin, Raschera cardoons, and a famed dessert trio—in a timeless, linen-dressed dining room with an elegant regional wine list.

Seta

Milan, Italy

2 Michelin stars · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Seta occupies a refined position within Milan's two-Michelin-star tier, operating inside the Mandarin Oriental on Via Monte di Pietà. Chef Antonio Guida structures the kitchen around three distinct tasting menus, with seasonal ingredients and citrus as recurring reference points. Ranked 29th in Opinionated About Dining's Classical Europe list for 2025, it draws both business travellers and dedicated diners seeking modern Italian cooking with compositional precision.

Also recognized by Falstaff, La Liste, Les Grandes Tables du Monde, Opinionated About Dining

St. George by Heinz Beck

Taormina, Italy

2 Michelin stars · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Set within The Ashbee Hotel's early-20th-century villa on the edge of Taormina's historic centre, St. George operates under a dual-chef model: Heinz Beck's two Michelin stars and La Liste recognition (84pts in 2026) sit alongside resident chef Salvatore Iuliano's Calabrian-rooted Mediterranean sensibility. The terrace, framing the Straits of Messina through palms, is among the more considered dining settings in southern Italy.

Also recognized by Falstaff, La Liste

Stube Hermitage

Madonna di Campiglio, Italy

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Housed inside the Biohotel Hermitage in Madonna di Campiglio, Stube Hermitage holds a Michelin star (2024) and operates within an early twentieth-century wood-panelled stube. Chef Gennaro Balice runs four tasting menus spanning freshwater fish, alpine mountain ingredients, seafood, and vegetarian, making it one of the Dolomites' most format-disciplined fine dining rooms.

Taverna del Grappolo Blu

Montalcino, Italy

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Reached by a steep flight of stone steps off one of Montalcino's narrow lanes, Taverna del Grappolo Blu has held Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in both 2024 and 2025 for its direct Tuscan cooking and a wine list of around 1,085 selections weighted toward Brunello. Pici with ragù and tripe anchor the menu; the atmosphere is informal, the service attentive, and the pricing stays at the accessible end of the town's dining spectrum.

Terrazza Fiorella

Massa Lubrense, Italy

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Terrazza Fiorella sits on the terrace of Villa Fiorella Art Hotel in Massa Lubrense, overlooking the Bay of Naples and its islands. Chef Carmine Mazza's cooking draws on Campanian ingredients reinterpreted with a contemporary hand, earning a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025. The wine list runs to 695 selections across 3,650 bottles, with particular depth in Piedmont and Tuscany.

Un Posto a Milano

Milan, Italy

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Un Posto a Milano occupies a converted farmhouse on Via Privata Cuccagna, operating simultaneously as a restaurant, agricultural market, and community workshop space. The kitchen serves traditional Italian dishes with seasonal, largely organic ingredients, earning a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025. With a wine list spanning 610 selections and a mid-range price point, it sits in a different register from Milan's high-end tasting-menu circuit.

Veranda

Cesenatico, Italy

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

On Cesenatico's main summer promenade, Veranda brings the Adriatic's seafood traditions to a covered terrace setting under the culinary direction of Alberto Faccani, whose Michelin-starred Magnolia operates nearby. Raw shellfish, gratins, pasta, and grilled fish anchor a menu that reads like a concise argument for the northern Adriatic coast's maritime identity. A 2025 Michelin Plate and an OAD ranking validate its position in the town's mid-to-upper tier.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, Relais Chateaux

Zafferano

Città della Pieve, Italy

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

A Michelin Plate recipient with consecutive Opinionated About Dining recognition since 2023, Zafferano brings classic Italian cooking to the hill town of Città della Pieve at a price point that sits well below comparable award-recognised tables in Umbria. A wine list of 1,650 labels, overseen by Wine Director Ivan Svirskyi, gives the room credentials that stretch well beyond its modest pricing tier.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining

ZELO

Milan, Italy

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Inside a 15th-century inner courtyard on Via Gesù, ZELO occupies one of Milan's more quietly authoritative dining addresses. The modern Italian kitchen draws on premium domestic ingredients, shifting from salads and classics at lunch to raw fish and seafood at dinner. A wine list of 800 selections, strong in Piedmont, Tuscany, and Burgundy, adds genuine depth to the experience.