Osteria della Chiocciola

The story

Osteria della Chiocciola, Cuneo: Piedmontese Cuisine Since 1989

The Story of Cuneo’s First Slow Food Osteria

In the late 1980s, the Langhe and Cuneo regions were at the epicentre of a culinary revolution. On December 8, 1989, Slow Food was founded in Paris by Carlo Petrini, championing the philosophy of food that is good, clean, and fair. It was on this wave of change that Osteria della Chiocciola opened its doors on November 29, 1989, in Cuneo. It became the first restaurant in the city to carry the name and logo of the movement — the snail (chiocciola), an emblem of slow, thoughtful cooking.

The guiding force behind the osteria is owner Gianfranco “Gigi” Riva. A former banker, Gigi’s passion for wine and travel led him to meet Petrini. Together they organised gastronomic tours across France and Spain, and tasting evenings throughout the province. In July 1989, Gigi orchestrated a dinner for 200 guests in Saluzzo. That experience gave him the confidence to open his own place just months later. Today, his personal collection of Italian and international wines forms the backbone of a cellar boasting 600 labels.

A Kitchen Rooted in the Territory

The kitchen, originally led by Beppe Lucia and Davide Testa, has always focused on seasonal ingredients and local produce. The result is a refined yet traditional Piedmontese cuisine that has earned the restaurant a Michelin Recommended award, a recognition that speaks to the consistency and quality maintained over decades.

The menu reads like a love letter to Piedmont. Staples include carne cruda battuta al coltello (a tartare of Fassona beef), vitello tonnato, and tajarin with butter and sage or meat ragù. The agnolotti del plin — handmade pasta parcels with a long-cooked fondo bruno sauce — are a highlight. For dessert, the panna cotta, which has been made to the same recipe since 1989, is a signature finish. Two tasting menus, the Menu Degustazione and the Menu Chiocciola, offer a curated journey through these classics. From October to January, the kitchen also features white Alba truffles.

An Enoteca for Wine Lovers

The osteria is also an enoteca, open from Monday to Saturday. The wine list is a curated selection for true connoisseurs, featuring bottles from the very Langa producers who began their work in the 1980s. The atmosphere is described as welcoming and warm, a place where guests return for decades, passing their affection for the Chiocciola down through generations.