Italy’s most talked-about table this autumn is not in Milan or Rome. The Gambero Rosso has named the Osteria dei Maltagliati in Torano Nuovo, a village of about 1,400 people in the province of Teramo, Abruzzo, as its Restaurant of the Year. The award was announced in Rome on 26 October 2026, when the food publisher presented its Ristoranti d’Italia 2027 guide in the year it celebrates its 40th anniversary.
A young couple and an open fire
The osteria is run by chef Maicol Capriotti, born in 1996, and Federica Brandimarte, born in 1997, who looks after the dining room and the wine. After working in fine dining, the pair chose a small village for their own project. Their cooking is built around the open grill, generous cuts of meat, fresh pasta, slow sauces and a wine list rooted in the region. Vanity Fair Italia describes it as a kitchen that slows down and goes back to the origins of flavour and technique.
The guide’s editors started from a simple question: which restaurants would you want to go back to tomorrow? Their answer points again and again to the provinces. Genya Malafronte of Legàmi in Morro d’Oro was named Emerging Chef, Sextantio – Cucina in Santo Stefano di Sessanio is the New Opening of the Year, and Cascina Lago Scuro in Stagno Lombardo took the prize for cuisine and territory. Three women share the Pastry Chef of the Year title: Ambra Campodonico, Rosita Mammone and Martina Tramis.
Niko Romito sets a record
At the very top of the ranking, Niko Romito’s Reale in Castel di Sangro, also in Abruzzo, scored 99 out of 100, the highest mark the guide has ever given. It is followed by Osteria Francescana in Modena on 98 and Piazza Duomo in Alba on 97. The new edition lists 2,573 addresses, awards 56 Tre Forchette to restaurants, 61 Tre Gamberi to trattorias and 21 Tre Bottiglie to wine-led venues, and replaces separate scores for food, wine and service with one overall judgement of the experience. Even the Pizzeria of the Year is far from the big cities: Roberto Davanzo’s Bob Alchimia a Spicchi in Montepaone, Calabria.
A long lunch in the Italian countryside calls for relaxed elegance rather than anything too formal. Soft knitwear, a pair of simple earrings and a delicate pendant necklace are enough, perhaps with a stacked bracelet or a favourite ring. For a day of driving between villages, a light crossbody bag keeps your hands free for the wine glass.
Sources: Vanity Fair Italia, “Per il Gambero Rosso il meglio della gastronomia italiana è in un paesino di 1400 abitanti” by Valentina Dirindin (26 October 2026); Gambero Rosso, “I migliori ristoranti d’Italia secondo il Gambero Rosso” (October 2026); WineNews, “Il Reale di Niko Romito al vertice della Guida Ristoranti d’Italia 2027 del Gambero Rosso” (26 October 2026); askanews (26 October 2026). Featured image: AI-generated illustration.
