Dolce Stil Novo alla Reggia

The story

Dolce Stil Novo alla Reggia: Michelin-Starred Dining in Turin's Royal Palace

Dolce Stil Novo alla Reggia, Turin

High above the gardens and fountains of the Royal Palace of Venaria, just outside Turin, Dolce Stil Novo offers a dining experience that is inseparable from its setting. It is the only restaurant inside a royal palace, housed on the top floor with views over the Court of Honor, the Fishpond, and the Stag Fountain. The restaurant describes it as “a unique journey between culinary pleasure and the thrill of history.”

Chef Alfredo Russo has held a Michelin star since 1994, a mark of consistency that speaks to a kitchen rooted in rigor rather than fleeting trends. His cooking is described as a reinterpretation of Italian tradition, where purity of ingredient comes first. The menu changes with the seasons, drawing on the daily market. A signature dish is the caramelised quail with honey and a whisky glaze, balanced by sweet-and-sour notes. Another is the raw Vicciola Fassona beef — a Piedmontese breed — served simply with olive oil and a delicate emulsion of tuna and capers.

The restaurant offers two main paths: a “carte blanche” tasting menu of seven courses, where the kitchen improvises around the day’s best produce, and an à la carte menu that requires a minimum of three courses per guest. Highlights from the à la carte include Alfredo Russo’s signature “White Pasta” with olive oil and Parmesan, a risotto emulsified with olive oil and young spring peas, and a traditional Gran Bollito Misto — the classic Piedmontese boiled-meat platter. Desserts include a candied lemon stuffed with limoncello cream and a raspberry meringue with vanilla Chantilly.

The atmosphere is formal but not stiff, with the grandeur of the palace providing a quiet, regal backdrop. This is Italian contemporary cooking at its most assured, delivered in a space that could only exist here.