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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nNot far from Parma, in Calestano<\/strong>, there\u2019s a place where people still come before the business of running a restaurant: Locanda Mariella<\/strong>. Mariella Gennari <\/strong>and Guido Cerioni<\/strong> are the heart and soul of this place, where murals by street artists coexist with the warmth of traditional local hospitality \u2013 a true one-of-a-kind spot. Here, wines are told as stories before they\u2019re tasted, the unexpected Japanese-Italian fusion in the kitchen surprises with every bite, and people are genuinely treated as people \u2013 always first, above everything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We pour ourselves another glass of wine \u2013 slowly \u2013 because when it comes to wine, time is everything. In a small corner of Monferrato<\/strong>, Cascina Iuli<\/strong> honours the rhythm of its wines: rooted in history, organic, crafted by listening closely to the raw ingredients and balancing traditional methods with today\u2019s practices. At a time of year when everything pauses, let\u2019s remember this: if you don\u2019t have time to drink wine, then you should probably drink something else. Because, as Fabrizio Iuli says, \u201cWine is meant to be sipped. It needs its own time, and something to eat alongside it; drinking should bring out the humanity in people\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s linger in Piedmont<\/strong> a little longer \u2013 after all, what\u2019s cosier than the artist\u2019s lights that illuminate Turin each year? In the city you\u2019ll find Consorzio<\/strong>, run by Pietro Vergano<\/strong> and Andrea Gherra<\/strong>, a place whose story unfolds through a blend of excess and reflection that ultimately reshaped the very idea of the Italian osteria<\/em>. Natural wine has been poured here long before it became fashionable, and the ingredients are chosen with great care by Valentina Chiaramonte<\/strong>, who brings together past and future, the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, in every dish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For one last stop in Sabaudian territory, we head to Valchiusella<\/strong>, where time matters, but above all, it slows to a halt. Here you\u2019ll find Rantan Farmhouse<\/strong>, the home (quite literally) of Carol Choi<\/strong> and Francesco Scarrone<\/strong>. The two met in Copenhagen<\/strong>, where they built up their own personal wealth of experience, before deciding to create a magical place of their own \u2013 casual, comforting, and decidedly hygge<\/em>. A single long table, an open kitchen, local produce (truly local, grown just a few steps from where it\u2019s served), and wonderful humans who warm the heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s move on to another couple \u2013 or rather, a Duo<\/em>: Lucia De Prai<\/strong>, a Roman pastry chef, and Marco Primiceri<\/strong>, a Piedmontese cook. The two have made their home in Chiavari<\/strong>, where, at Duo<\/strong>, they put local producers at centre stage, transforming a former print shop into an elegant and creative restaurant. Alongside all things Ligurian, you\u2019ll also find touches of the East and the occasional Spanish accent, all brought together with remarkable harmony. Everything is guided by spontaneity, flair and a spirit of sharing. In this case, you really can say: Duo is definitely better than one!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some travel from north to south: after his time in Milan, Marco Ambrosino<\/strong> arrived in Naples<\/strong>, where with ScottoJonno<\/strong> and di Sustanza<\/strong> \u2013 respectively a bistro and a fine-dining restaurant \u2013 he has helped spark the revival of the Galleria Principe di Napoli<\/strong>. Here, Ambrosino has become a cartographer of the Mediterranean, mapping it out to create Sustanza\u2019s menu: a menu that doesn\u2019t begin with gastronomy, but with humanity, rooted in relationships with the surrounding territory. Ambrosino himself believes that his dishes \u201caren\u2019t meant to be merely delicious, but also unsettling, even a little uncomfortable\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another stretch of sea, another story: on the island of Mazzorbo<\/strong>, Chiara Pavan <\/strong>and Francesco Brutto<\/strong> not only express their creativity, but also put their projects into practice, supporting the Venetian lagoon in its fight against environmental degradation. The story of this place began more than twenty years ago, thanks to the intuition and determination of winemaker Gianluca Bisol<\/strong>, who discovered on the island of Torcello<\/strong> a few remaining vines of an almost-forgotten native grape variety, dorona<\/em>, which had all but vanished from the lagoon. Hospitality and dining were later added to the project, eventually bringing in the duo Pavan\u2013Brutto. With them, the conversation shifted towards environmental cuisine and no-waste principles. Welcome to Venissa<\/strong> \u2013 a place of identity, roots, and ethical experimentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who hasn\u2019t, at some point, felt the need to get away, to leave everything behind and lose themselves for a while in a far-off place? We believe the Svalbard islands<\/strong> are the perfect setting for that kind of reflection: a community that loves its land and those who inhabit it, but above all respects it and honours it, even at the dinner table, amid the frozen darkness of a polar night. It\u2019s a place of oxymorons and contrasts, where polar bears outnumber people and where the food scene is unexpectedly remarkable. A journey worth making, or at the very least, worth reading about in one breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2. Cascina Iuli and the wines of rediscovered time<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n3. Excesses and reflections<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n4. Love actually<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n5. Duo is better than one<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n6.\u00a0Sailing against the wind<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n7.\u00a0Chiara, Francesco and the free state of Venissa<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n8. The Northernmost<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n9. The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant in Scotland<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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