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Rarely does it happen that all the stars align (3 Michelin stars in this case) and you have an experience that surpasses your hopes. While traveling in Italy my expectations are always elevated, the service, food, and general quality of just about everything is remarkable; but at Da Vittorio we were impressed on every level.

Aside from those who enjoy traveling for a stellar meal, the municipality of Brusaporto is not a destination on most people’s radar. We headed there only because we attended a wedding last year in Courchevel catered by Da Vittorio where the food was simply to die for (the entire wedding was too, tbh), and subsequently we were eager to visit their actual restaurant.

Located just about an hour outside Milan, Da Vittorio is an ideal add-on if you are visiting the area. I am sure many people make the journey just for lunch or dinner, but if you don’t spend the night you are missing out on the Cerea family‘s effusive and authentic hospitality. It is clear to see that Bruna Cerea, the matriarch of the family instilled the highest standards of how to run every aspect of both a world class restaurant as well as a welcoming hotel in her five children (all of whom are involved in the far flung family enterprise). With additional locations in both Shanghai and St. Moritz the Da Vittorio in Brunasporto dates back to 2005, while the original location in Bergamo opened in 1966.

Coming from Milan mid-morning was a breeze, a car collected us and drove us straight to the hotel where we were greeted like old friends and offered espresso and cookies while we waited to check in. We spotted Bruna Cerea and two small dogs in the office, clearly involved in overseeing all the details. Happily, while everyone spoke perfect English we were pleased to find that we were the only Americans on property.

Our plan was to check in and spend the afternoon in nearby Bergamo before we returned back to the hotel for drinks and dinner. If you or your spouse is a gun enthusiast please note that both Beretta and Perazzi have their headquarters nearby and may be worth a visit (be sure to plan ahead).

Lucky for us our room (we booked a Junior Suite) was ready when we arrived and we were given a brief tour and dropped our bags (while simultaneously sampling some yummy cookies) before we were off to explore.

We were expecting our rental car to be delivered at noon (major props to our travel agent who endured dozens of phone calls trying to arrange this with them) so we had about a half our to walk the impeccably cared for grounds.

Miracle of miracles, upon returning to the hotel we spotted the representatives from Auto Europe and took possession of our car which we would use for the week. Word to the wise, make sure you take photos of all the preexisting dings and dents and make sure they are noted on the contract in order to avoid problems later on, I speak from experience!

After taking possession of the keys we set off towards Bergamo with the intention of first exploring the historic upper city (Citta Alta), and then the lower. There is the option to take a funicular but we decided to burn some extra calories and so set off on foot.

The ultimate destination was of course lunch, but on the way we meandered (along with a tremendous number of other tourists) through the small and windy streets.

At the top of the hill was Lalimentari a very touristy restaurant with laminated menus featuring photos of the food (not generally a good sign), but my in-laws had visited several years ago and absolutely raved about their Casoncelli, the traditional pork ravioli of the region so we went against out better judgement and gave it a try.

To be honest the meal didn’t start well, we were sandwiched between a motley collection of day trippers, aggressively coughed on by our waiter (my husband’s biggest pet peeve) and then served water via his germ covered hands. I reassured my unsettled husband that I believed “coughing man” merely took our order, and hopefully a healthy server would bring our food, but a uncomfortable wait ensued.

I gave the polenta with local mountain cheese a try, while the Casconelli that luckily was served by a seemingly hale waitress was consumed by my nervous spouse. Final verdict? We should have left at the first cough.

We felt we saw all we needed to see in Upper Bergamo, so worked our way back down the way we came. We did stop into the Da Vittorio sweet shop which was straight out of a Wes Anderson movie. We didn’t indulge as we were saving room for dinner.

I was glad we explored Citta Alta, but think it was one and done. Lower Bergamo was divided between beautiful and historical and honestly a little sketchy with a definite division between the old guard and the new kids in town. Once again, I am grateful we explored, but no need to return; for the record, I only photographed the historic center, but take my word for it regarding the outskirts.

After our excursion it was straight back to the perfect little bubble of Da Vittorio where it was cocktail time. We quickly changed into suitable attire and took our seats in the garden. As it was with each and every person we encountered, the bartender was effervescent, cheerful, and helpful; mixing me the perfect G & T. For the record, he too looked like he wandered off a Wes Anderson set.

We lingered outside and then ambled into the dining room, assured that we were on our own time schedule; our table was ours for the evening. While there is an à la carte option, I am guessing most people choose one of the prix fixe menus, in my case I opted for the vegetarian tasting menu (Dalla nostra campagna euro 260) while my husband chose the meat-centric menu (Gli esordi di papà “Vittorio” euro 300). Drinks were additional, and as you might expect they had an incredible wine list.

I need to be upfront with the fact that I honestly had no idea what I was eating, nor can I recap it for you; but suffice it to say every single dish was at the peak of freshness, innovative in flavour and presented by the most attentive and considerate staff you could hope for. Being that my parade of dishes was all vegetarian I was never wary about any of the ingredients and ate with abandon. My husband was game for anything until he was served a veal tartare, and while he did give it a try the staff noticed his hesitation and amended his subsequent courses so there would be nothing else uncooked to follow.

The servers were unfailingly friendly and accessible, without being too obsequious. They were on hand when they needed to be, offering explanations and answering questions, and then fading into the background until the next course.

The meal was paced so perfectly, and the dishes sized just right that we were not yet surrendering following the main portion of the meal. If you know me, you know I will never refuse a cheese course, especially with options as tempting as those offered at Da Vittorio. This was an add-on to the prix fixe menu, but it was well worth it (in my opinion).

Following the cheese course… individually filled pastries accompanied by a whimsical carousel; delicious and entertaining.

Next up? A little more sweet temptation.

Finally we were nearing the finish line; our meal was extraordinary from start to finish, and as we made the short trip upstairs to our room we were bid buona notte by the staff.

One of my favorite aspects of the hotel? A choice of pillows for each of us, including my favorite: goose down.

Despite our best efforts we woke up early, we had hoped to sleep late but instead we pointed ourselves towards the smell of coffee and the sounds of breakfast. We had high hopes based on the quality of dinner and we were not disappointed, though to be honest we really weren’t too hungry.

After a sampling of the tempting buffet we were off to our next stop, the Dolomites, stay tuned for all the details.

If this post made you hungry and you are planning a trip to Milan or the surrounding environs you should absolutely consider a meal at Da Vittorio (preferably spending the night if you have the time). As an alternative plan you can visit the Da Vittorio Cafe at the newly renovated (and spectacular) Louis Vuitton on the Via Monte Napoleone in Milan.

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