Family managed, strong links with the territory, meticulous attention to detail. This represents the formula that has made the Michelin -starred restaurant in Villa di Chiavenna a highly successful and respected reference point for quality.
The style is practically the same that has made La Lanterna Verde rather special for 25 years now. The restaurant is a genuine benchmark of the very highest standards within the vast panorama of gastronomy on offer in Valchiavenna. At the head of affairs in the kitchen, chef Roberto Tonola represents the third generation within an impressive history and tradition.
Roberto, 33, clearly has a very real creative inspiration that has made the Lanterna the force that it has become over the years. During his education at high school he began to cultivate a passion for quality cuisine. He worked alongside his uncle, Andrea, chef at the Lanterna, from whom he learnt methods and indeed secrets. At 20 he took off for abroad, working in London and Germany before returning to his home country where he was associated with a range of restaurant kitchens. Today he oversees the family business thoughtfully, with the support of the vast knowledge and experience of his father Antonio, a sommelier at an international level, and promoter of a particular style and an almost obsessive attention to detail, which in recent years has secured the Lanterna the renewal of its Michelin Star.
The restaurant was established on the 19th June 1982, on the foundations of an earlier restaurant run by Antonio’s parents and his brother Andrea. The family had huge experience of trout farming, something which over the years was to prove fundamental to the restaurant’s fortunes. Antonio, a graduate in Geology at Pavia, along with his three sisters and brother Andrea, has decided to create a business model with a very particular identity. Chef Andrea specialises in the preparation of pasta, meat and fish alongside a special predisposition for dessert. And it’s from him that a very distinctive style was brought to life. The presentation of each and every dish that exits today’s kitchen does so, only after meticulous composition that begins with the chromatic evaluation of their ingredients, of their seasonality and their ties to the territory.
Trout has very much remained the emblem of the cuisine at Lanterna Verde and seriously contributed to the award of the Michelin star in 1997. The previous year the restaurant was selected by the Italian section of the Associazione dei Jeunes Restaurateurs d’Europe. A highlight of the place is the very fine cellar presided over by Antonio. It is made up of around 8000 bottles representing 600 labels, 150 of which are from abroad, mostly french.
Autumn is certainly as good as any season to appreciate Lanterna Verde’s cuisine. Chef Roberto has maintained the basics that so clearly identified the marvellous work of those who came before, whilst introducing some magical variations that have been welcomed by public and critics alike. And the Lanterna will continue to experiment with combinations and ways forward, forever maintaining the territorial aspects. Among the autumn dishes that the Lanterna has become noted for is the quite excellent tagliatelle made with chestnut flour, and natural produce such as pumpkin, mushrooms and seasonal vegetables. Dishes packed full of history, transforming a visit to the restaurant into a totally unforgettable experience.
