Rota "Da Vittorio" in Brusaporto, Lombard tradition and creative genius

Three Michelin stars in Italy they are almost as rare as that of the Magi. After a journey of great commitment, dedication and sacrifice, started many years ago by Victor Cerea (who died in 2005) and his wife Bruna who led to the first star in 1978 and the second in 1996, the baton was happily picked up by the children Enrico and Roberto in the kitchen, Francesco and Rossella at the reception and in 2010 it was possible to celebrate the arrival of the most coveted and suffered of awards, the Three Stars of the prestigious French guide. The refined restaurant "Da Vittorio" housed in the homonymous Charming inn, a member of the Relais&Chateaux circuit in Brusaporto not far from Bergamo, today carries the banner of great Italian cuisine high in the world.

In the kingdom that belonged first to Vittorio and then to his sons Enrico and Roberto, in 1990 a young 24-year-old landed who knew his stuff. Vittorio noticed him immediately, he trusted him, the young man, who had already gained experience with various restaurants in the area, was eager to learn and make all the secrets of high quality cuisine his own. The Cereas sent him to gain experience abroad, in Lasarte in the Basque country, with the multi-starred Martin Berasateguì, heir of the great Andrià and in England with Michel Roux, the noble father of world cuisine, a living legend, who collects Michelin stars for every restaurant which opens.

The goal is to update work techniques and knowledge of materials for a restaurant that has an international footprint even if firmly rooted in the territory. Paolo Rota is passionate, studies everything, deepens and experiments, that's what he was looking for. His ravenous curiosity knows no bounds. With this wealth of experience that young man, Paolo Rota, now 52 years old, affable and calm, very self-possessed qualities that he transfers in his balanced approach, very respectful to the kitchen, soon climbs all the steps of the Temple of Brusaporto to become Sous Chef alongside to Enrico and Roberto to whom he joined even more because in the meantime the love for cooking was also shared with the love for Rossella, sister of the two, who got married in '90.

The concept "Lombard tradition and creative genius" is virtually written in huge letters on the entrance to this prestigious restaurant sunk into a ten-hectare park where pleasant paths first touch the natural lake animated by geese, ducks and swans, then the vineyards that occupy the top of the hill from which grapes are obtained "Rosso Faber" a Bordeaux blend obtained from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes curated by Francesco, memory of an agricultural tradition revitalized thanks to replantings made with the most modern techniques. Finally we arrive at the Locanda di Charme where in the evening guests are welcomed by a spectacular bonfire that burns in a large brazier in front of the entrance.

Here everything is close to perfection. Paolo Rota underlines: “The market and the seasons are rigorously followed in their annual alternation, the raw materials are at the highest and most uncompromising level. Scampi from Mazara del Vallo, Piedmontese meats, local mushrooms, Alba truffles. What is not produced on site leaves and arrives every day from the places of origin to the restaurant kitchen".

Lombard creativity is expressed in the freedom of combinations, small touches of color and liveliness of flavors create contrasts that meet physically in a crescendo of harmony of taste designed to give enjoyment to the most diverse palates and the most diverse gastronomic preferences (or needs) : meat and fish, game and fruits de mer, truffles and mushrooms but also vegetable dishes, all declined with an original style sensitive to the new frontiers of wellness cuisine.

Among the dishes that in 50 years of life have made this place great Paolo Rota lists with religious solemnity, as if showing the family trophies: Warm steamed fish salad, Egg all'egg, Risotto with seafood from the pot to the plate , Paccheri alla Vittorio, Mixed fried fish with fruit and vegetables, Hourglass-style white sea bass, Milanese-style elephant ear.

One can well understand why the greats of the world have passed through this temple of haute cuisine.