The final destination on this whirlwind culinary extravaganza was a return to Da Vittorio which we visited just 6 months ago ( you can read about it here). Spoiler alert: we have decided that each time we return to Italy and are able to fly through Milan we are going to add a night on either the front end or back end of the trip to get a Da Vittorio fix, it’s that good.
Before we arrived in Brusaporto for our much anticipated meal we asked our driver to make a stop in Mantua a historic (so historic that the old town has been designated a Unesco World Heritage site), spectacular city we had never visited before. Mantua was conveniently located just between Casa Maria Luigia and Da Vittorio and was a perfect place to break up our journey. We explored the old town, popping in and out of several churches.
In addition to exploring the local sites we were astounded at all the bakeries selling their version of Sbrisolona (translated into break apart) a local specialty made of almonds, cornmeal and flour. I tried to find a variation that was gluten free, but having no success I was reduced to wistfully gazing at the many options unavailable to me.
The real star of the show in Mantua was the Palazzo Ducale also known as the Gonzaga Palace. It is one of the largest palaces in all of Europe (HUGE at approximately 35,000 square meters) with more than 500 rooms. We could have stayed all day, but had only allotted ourselves 90 minutes to explore. The building itself, parts of which date back to the early 1300s is amazingly well preserved and filled with treasures. My favorite part were the ceilings, each room we entered featured a more beautiful and elaborate ceiling than the last. I am not certain whether it is worthwhile to spend an overnight in Mantua, but if your travels bring you nearby it is absolutely worth a detour. We may have been visiting at an off time but we practically had the Palazzo to ourselves which was a real treat.
We pulled ourselves away from the Palazzo and headed to Da Vittorio which much to our delight was completely decked out for Christmas. They welcomed us back with cups of steaming hot dark chocolate and immediately whisked us upstairs to our room.
We had reserved a junior suite on the second floor which was more spacious than the one we stayed in during our previous visit, and was stocked with plenty of welcome treats; we were in no danger of going hungry! You can of course come to dine at Da Vittorio as a stand alone event, but I would highly suggest make an overnight stay out of it, the rooms are wonderful and the service is personalized and attentive.
After settling in we headed downstairs to enjoy a drink and a cigar (my husband). We sat outside warmed by an atmospheric fire pit and savored the last evening of our vacation. The service here is impeccable, anticipatory and seamless. There is always someone available to freshen your drink, or provide you with a snack; whatever it takes to provide a perfect experience.
As we sat we couldn’t help but compare Da Vittorio to Casa Maria Luigia. Both are small, special, and run by three star Michelin chefs though that is where the similarities end. Da Vittorio is quiet in its elegance and understated as far as their approach, whereas Massimo Bottura is just the opposite. There is a member of the Cerea family (proprietors of Da Vittorio) always present whether in the dining room or at reception, and it feels genuine; alternatively Casa Maria Luigia seems like “Massimo World”. Both experiences are worthwhile and memorable, but they are different.
We decided to mosey in to dinner at about 8:00 pm, when you reserve a table at Da Vittorio it is yours for the evening and you set the time depending on your whim. I had been dreaming about the vegetarian menu from our last visit, but was disappointed to find it wasn’t one of the options on the menu. A Champagne cocktail was brought to help contemplate this “difficult” decision; ultimately we both decided on the Truffle menu, which made sense as it was the height of the truffle season. A bonus for me for me is that the menu was basically vegetarian, and easily made gluten free! My husband experienced a bit of trepidation as it wasn’t what he was initially craving, but it turned out to be one of the best meals of our lives.
Since it was going to be a truffle-fest we opted for a Barolo from Piedmont, where presumably the truffles were harvested. The wine list is quite massive and worthy of a careful perusal if that happens to be your passion, though if it is not the sommelier was completely approachable and ready to offer suggestions.
Once the wine was poured the parade of courses started coming, all incredibly rich and mouthwateringly delicious. The first offering of Jerusalem artichokes under a blanket of truffles was so good that we had to use the freshly baked bread (mine being gf of course) to sop up every last drop. The subsequent two courses looked similar but tasted very different, a potato soup that was ethereal and braised leeks, both smothered in freshly shaved truffles.
The pumpkin truffle pizza may have converted my husband into a pumpkin lover (it is usually one of the foods he avoids) while my porcini truffle cappuccino was sublime.
The risotto with shaved white truffle was up next, and as you would expect it was spectacularly good.
The true highlight of the entire meal came next, a small crepe blanketed in béchamel, Parmigiana and truffles which you then ate with your fingers. The combination of textures and tastes was insane. I rarely get this effusive about a dish, but in this case it was warranted.
The final “main” course was an embarrassment of riches, foie gras smothered in truffles for my husband and buttery, softly scrambled eggs buried under a generous mound of truffles for me.
Clearly these dishes were incredibly decadent, but at no point did we want to raise the white flag. The courses were paced appropriately and the portions were just the right size. As we transitioned to dessert I was delighted to sample my first sweet of the evening, ice cream with porcini and truffles, very on theme.
Sadly the special Panettone served alongside a festive carousel was just for my husband, but I consoled myself with the extensive candy display that followed. I was definitely tempted by the wide ranging cheese display (which I enjoyed on our last visit) but I resisted.
The adorable ferris wheel brought to the table was stocked with treats both gf and not, followed by homemade chocolates (dark chocolate and ginger seemed almost healthy) and then of course the small bags of festive bonbons we were able to customize to accompany us on the long walk up to our room.
It is rare that both my husband and I rave about a meal, though in this case that is exactly what we were doing, it was flawless. The flavors were perfectly balanced, the service was like a well choreographed performance (but one that was approachable, not intimidating or imposing in anyway). Our stay in Italy was filled with unbelievable dining experiences, but this one really was far and away the best. If you have a special occasion to celebrate and are heading to Italy, please plan ahead and book a night at Da Vittorio, I promise you that you won’t regret it.
Thankfully we had one more meal to enjoy before we left, an abundant, tasty and beautiful breakfast buffet. We were leaving for the airport at around 10 am, so we were able to sample an array of goodies (including a gorgeous gf raspberry tart) in anticipation of our lengthy journey home. While the food on Emirates is good it is not in the same league as Da Vittorio.
Following breakfast we even had time to do a quick spin around the bucolic property. We were a bit sad to be heading back home, but were happy to finish on such a high note.
