La Maison de la Pia

This is the kind of place that’s well worth the effort! Deep in the Roya Valley, this old stone farmhouse has been lovingly (and stubbornly) brought back to life by a determined duo: Camille Burle (ex-sommelier at Lai’Tcha in Paris and Le Canon in Nice) and Thomas Guernion (ex-Arpège, and a worthy heir to the Maison Barale pasta dynasty). Together, they’ve transformed this far-flung patch of countryside into a bucolic gastronomic hideaway, where the views are as arresting at the plates. And what plates! That evening, the menu spoke the local dialect: meltingly eggplant caponata-style, tucked beneath a blanket of caramelized onions; glorious fresh tagliatelle glossed with a creamy sauce scented with sage from the garden; stunning celeriac ravioli stuffed with John Dory and celeriac purée, lifted by a lightly creamed fish stock; superb La Brigue guinea fowl, cooked twice (poached and grilled), doused in sauce poulette spiked with dried oregano, alongside carrot and sweet potato purée; before cheeses from the valley and a soft landing via a floating island with caramel and pear sauce. And if you don’t want this dream to end, two rooms sit beneath a glassy geodesic dome facing the mountains, reached by lantern once night falls. · Annie Zette

This is the kind of place that’s well worth the effort! Deep in the Roya Valley, this old stone farmhouse has been lovingly (and stubbornly) brought back to life by a determined duo: Camille Burle (ex-sommelier at Lai’Tcha in Paris and Le Canon in Nice) and Thomas Guernion (ex-Arpège, and a worthy heir to the Maison Barale pasta dynasty). Together, they’ve transformed this far-flung patch of countryside into a bucolic gastronomic hideaway, where the views are as arresting at the plates. And what plates! That evening, the menu spoke the local dialect: meltingly eggplant caponata-style, tucked beneath a blanket of caramelized onions; glorious fresh tagliatelle glossed with a creamy sauce scented with sage from the garden; stunning celeriac ravioli stuffed with John Dory and celeriac purée, lifted by a lightly creamed fish stock; superb La Brigue guinea fowl, cooked twice (poached and grilled), doused in sauce poulette spiked with dried oregano, alongside carrot and sweet potato purée; before cheeses from the valley and a soft landing via a floating island with caramel and pear sauce. And if you don’t want this dream to end, two rooms sit beneath a glassy geodesic dome facing the mountains, reached by lantern once night falls. · Annie Zette