La Veranda Restaurant

La Veranda opens onto the lake through large glass windows that filter a shifting light, softer in the morning, golden at sunset. When the season turns warmer, the tables move out onto the terrace: Bellagio in the background, the outline of the mountains in the distance. The cuisine follows the same rhythm as the landscape, and the seasons write the menu: from wild herbs in spring to perch as summer arrives, and then mushrooms and legumes at the beginning of autumn.

The chef follows the land, listening to what it has to offer. Puglian roots and lakeside landscape: Francesco comes from the land, in the most literal sense. Born to a farming father, he early on experienced that closeness to the cycle of things — sowing, waiting, harvesting — and learned to recognise a good ingredient even before it enters the kitchen. On Lake Como, those roots have grafted themselves onto a new landscape, a landscape of water and shores, giving rise to a contemporary cuisine that never forgets its respect for raw ingredients.

The bakery tradition also speaks this same language: breads made with sourdough and local olive oil accompany the dinner experience. The wine list follows the same direction: it ranges from international labels to local wines, from wineries around Lake Como to Lombardy producers — a selection created to enter into dialogue with the cuisine.