The story
In the Tuscan hill town of Colle di Val d’Elsa, Arnolfo is a restaurant where tradition, modernity, and art meet. Chef Gaetano Trovato describes his cooking as a pursuit of “transparency, innovation and balance,” with a clear aim: “to convey quality without glitz.” The result is a refined expression of country cooking that has earned him two Michelin stars.
Trovato’s story begins with bread. As a boy in his Sicilian family’s adopted hometown, he worked in a bakery that used sourdough starter and a wood-burning oven. The scent of that bread, he says, left an indelible mark. Today, Arnolfo bakes its own bread twice daily. That early grounding in honest, elemental food informs every dish.
After training in France with nouvelle cuisine pioneer Roger Vergé and pastry chef Gaston Lenotre, and later with Angelo Paracucchi in Sarzana, Trovato opened Arnolfo. In 2022, the restaurant celebrated its 40th anniversary by moving to a new location in Colle di Val d’Elsa.
The Spring 2026 menu offers four paths. Botanical Futures and Sea Emotions explore vegetable and marine worlds. Contemporary Classics revisits tradition through dishes like veal sweetbread with zolfino bean and leek, or a guinea fowl raviolo with zucchini and turnip tops. Gourmet Discovery is available for lunch and Sunday dinner. All menus are priced at €200 and showcase the “extraordinary generosity of the Tuscan territory.”
The atmosphere is warm and attentive, the service precise. Arnolfo is a member of Relais & Châteaux and holds a Green Guide sustainability rating, reflecting a kitchen that respects both its ingredients and its surroundings.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
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