Restaurants in museums: where to sit down to eat with art in Italy

On the hills overlooking Florence, Villa Bardini is home to Filippo Saporito's La Leggenda dei Frati. The restaurant, in collaboration with the Galleria Continua di San Gimignano, has been conducting a dialogue between cuisine and art for more than ten years. The rooms overlooking the garden and the view of the city are the setting for a gastronomic itinerary that is interwoven with the history and culture of the place.

Caffè Doria

In Rome, two experiences stand side by side. Caffè Doria completes the museum itinerary of Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, in the rooms once used as the mansion's stables. In Palazzo Brancaccio, on the other hand, Spazio Field hosts the Roland restaurant, where contemporary taste dialogues with the historic suggestions of the palace.

In the heart of Palermo, at Palazzo Castrone, Giuseppe Forello has imagined a surprising hybrid place: Mec, the museum that tells the story of computers and at the same time hosts the restaurant of chef Carmelo Trentacosti, which bears the same name as the museum. A formula that has convinced the critics, bringing a new Michelin star to Sicily. Between technology and creative dishes, the experience is avant-garde.

Alfredo Russo, chef del Dolce Stil Novo

At the Reggia di Venaria, on the outskirts of Torno, the restaurant Dolce Stil Novo extends the Baroque experience from the visit to the rooms to the table. In a setting of great historical charm, Alfredo Russo's cuisine becomes a natural continuation of the architectural and artistic magnificence.

Intesa Sanpaolo has turned museum catering into a true cultural strategy. After the opening of Voice in Milan, in collaboration with the historic restaurant Aimo e Nadia, the group chose the Costardi brothers for Turin and Giuseppe Iannotti for Naples, where it opened Luminist, which includes a bistrot celebrating Neapolitan tradition, fine dining, a café and a cocktail bar. The opening of Palazzo Piacentini, the new Turin branch of the Gallerie d'Italia, will also confirm this experimental vision.

Voce Milano

At an altitude of over two thousand metres, at Plan de Corones in South Tyrol, the museum of mountain photography Lumen is home to Alpinn, the panoramic restaurant designed by the three-Michelin-starred chef Norbert Niederkofler. Here, the Cook the Mountain philosophy takes shape, linking cuisine, territory and sustainability in an experience suspended between peaks and art.

Alpinn di Norbert Niederkofler

Returning to Milan, designed by Rem Koolhaas in 2018, the Torre restaurant soars on the sixth floor of the Fondazione Prada's main building. Amidst works of art, design and large windows that give a novel perspective on the city, the restaurant and bar offer a unique atmosphere. Chef Lorenzo Lunghi signs a menu that renews the authentic flavours of Italian tradition in a contemporary key, enhancing fresh and seasonal ingredients. The extensive wine list and cocktails - between revisited classics and original creations - complete an experience that interweaves cuisine, art and oenology.

Inside the Museo del Novecento, Da Giacomo Arengario brings its elegant and reassuring style to an exceptional cultural context, one that tells the story of the last century. A restaurant that, faithful to Milanese and Italian tradition, accompanies the visit to the museum with dishes that celebrate gastronomic memory without renouncing a touch of style and contemporaneity.