Pinocchio

The story

Pinocchio Borgomanero – Michelin-Recommended Piedmontese Cuisine by the Bertinotti Family

The Bertinotti Family’s Pinocchio

In Borgomanero, the Bertinotti family has been tending a single flame for four generations. At Pinocchio, Chef Piero Bertinotti turns the phrase “future of tradition” into a daily practice: ancient raw materials, modern knowledge, and the creativity that comes from decades of hands-on cooking. The restaurant’s Michelin Recommended status reflects this steady, personal approach.

The Cuisine

The menu is seasonal, changing four times a year, but always rooted in Piedmontese cuisine. Alongside classics like agnolotti ai tre arrosti bianchi and paniscia alla novarese (made the family way), you’ll find more inventive dishes such as uovo in piedi in crosta di mandorle with bagna caoda and small garden vegetables, or manzo rosato in crosta di fiori di fieno with a light Nebbiolo di Boca bordolese. A degustation menu offers “small, curious tastes of imaginative cooking,” as the family puts it. The wine list, curated by Paola Bertinotti, walks hand in hand with the food—an ample selection of Italian and international labels.

The Setting

The heart of the restaurant is the central dining room, where each table feels like an island of calm conviviality. A smaller private room suits business dinners or intimate celebrations, while a larger banquet hall handles weddings and corporate events. In summer, meals move to the garden—set among manicured lawns and wooden gazebos, a quiet corner of Piedmont between mountains and lakes.

From the kitchen to the cantina, every detail at Pinocchio is marked by the same philosophy: serious, coherent cooking that respects its history while looking ahead.