Where to eat on the Berici hills, the best 13 restaurants

A classic out-of-town excursion for people from Padua and Vicenza, but at the same time easily reached from Milan in just over two hours, it’s a perfect destination for a weekend or a short holiday. There are trails to go hike on foot or by mountain bike, panoramas of the woods, vineyards and perfect cultivations, ancient residences to visit and gourmet tables to discover. Here are 13 addresses, including a Tre Forchette from the Guida Ristoranti d'Italia 2024 that alone is worth the trip.

Where to eat in Altavilla Vicentina

Da Berno

Trattoria. An address with a very ancient history, dating back as far as 1890, now as then run with great commitment and passion by the Gobbo family. At the table there’s tradition, interpreted with a touch of pleasant modernity, using mainly zero km and short supply chain ingredients. There’s no lack of fish in the proposal. Wide-ranging wine cellar, with regional, national and foreign references; well-kept environment, with many rooms and summer garden. On the same property is a comfortable bed and breakfast.

Da Berno – via Monte Grappa, 70 – 0444 288688 

Trattoria Dalla Bianca

Trattoria. What is pleasing about this venue is the warm welcome, even to an unfamiliar customer, combined with a down-to-earth culinary proposal that takes its cue from local recipes and ingredients and gives them a modern interpretation without forgetting its roots. Hence the crispy polenta with mushrooms and Monte Veronese cheese, the tagliolini in broth with liver, the bollito misto, and the Vicenza-style salt-cured cod. Leave room for the very good desserts. Nice vibes also from the wine list, which is well thought out and offered by the glass.

Trattoria Dalla Bianca – via Tavernelle, 89 – 0444 370211 – trattoriadallabianca.it

Where to eat in Arcugnano

Trattoria Ai Celibi

Restaurant. Passionate family management is at the helm of this restaurant, a good reference for eating well in a convivial and relaxed atmosphere. Focus of the menu are quality ingredients, especially from the area, which has much to offer depending on the time of year. Examples: soft polenta with Asiago, sopressa and mushrooms; homemade tagliolini with truffles; braised cheek stew with mashed potatoes. If you like, there is a tasting course dedicated to codfish. There’s a well-structured wine list, with a welcome by the glass opportunity.

Trattoria Ai Celibi – via Spianzana, 3 – 0444 270308 – trattoriaaicelibi.it

Trattoria Zamboni

Restaurant. A safe and pleasant landing spot thanks to the rooms with large windows overlooking the greenery and the outdoor seating area. Cuisine with a desire to explore while keeping its feet firmly placed in tradition, hence a menu that changes often according to the groceries and the seasons, with a careful eye on the territory. The result is positive, especially when it comes to the snails and meats that animate many recipes. And a plus is with no doubt the possibility to choose half portions, widening the taste range. High-level wine list, also by the glass.

Trattoria Zamboni – frazione Lapio strada per Lago di Fimon via Santa Croce, 73 – 0444 273079 – trattoriazamboni.it

Where to eat in Barbarano Mossano

Aqua Crua

Restaurant. A media figure, in some ways extravagant, the Trentino chef Giuliano Baldessari has made his refined restaurant an address for the most shrewd gourmets, who can enjoy a unique and unconventional culinary experience here. You can choose from one of the three tasting menus, or you can draw from an inviting, however narrow, menu that changes with the season rythym. This blends with a rich wine selection of international scope. There are even comfortable, quiet rooms.

Aqua Crua – piazza Calcalusso, 11/A – 0444 776096 – aquacrua.it

Da Sagraro

Agriturismo. It’s the right place to spend a few hours to relax, pampered by a family service and good home cooking based mainly on raw ingredients from the farm. Maison cured meats, fresh pasta with seasonal dressings, meat mostly from farmyard animals, vegetables from the garden, simple and delicious desserts, all followed by house wines. Oil and genuine farm produce are on sale. If you wish, you can stay in one of the available flats of different sizes. Reservations are recommended.

Da Sagraro – località Mossano via Olivari, 1 – 0444 886217-347 2907072 – agriturismodasagraro.com

Where to eat in Castegnero

Antica Trattoria al Sole

Trattoria. Historic place with a warm and cosy ambience with wooden furnishings, exposed beams and well-spaced tables. In the kitchen, dishes suit the season and are always changing. From the menu: baccalà mantecato with grilled polenta croutons, Rotzo potato gnocchi with chanterelles and smoked ricotta, baked rabbit cooked in a copper pot, and the classic baccalà alla vicentina. Homemade desserts to try. The wine list includes interesting references and many labels from organic producers.

Antica Trattoria al Sole – via Fontana Fozze, 2 – 0444 730211 – anticatrattoriaalsole.com

Where to eat in Longare

Locanda Penaceto

Restaurant. Good food that draws heavily from the rich produce availability in the surrounding area is what awaits you at the Locanda Penaceto, a reliable and satisfying address. Sopressa with vegetable giardiniera, codfish mantecato with polenta, fettuccine with wild mushrooms, bigoli with duck ragout, roe deer in salmì, veal tongue with porcini mushrooms, are just some of the proposals that will satisfy even the most sophisticated of palates. Bread, fresh pasta and home-made desserts. Respectable wine list, possibility of staying the night in the few rooms available.

Locanda Penaceto – via Colderuga, 24 – 0444 555353 – locandapenaceto.it

Le Vescovane

Restaurant. Inside an old farmhouse renovated with taste and attention to detail, with parking, swimming pool, well-furnished rooms and atmosphere, a place not to be missed if you are in the area. The cuisine has its strong point in the quality of the ingredients, most of which come from the property's own farm. For a less demanding and informal pit stop, you can stop at La Sosta Cicchetteria, ideal for a snack with a glass of wine and to buy food and wine specialities of all kinds.

Le Vescovane – via San Rocco, 19 – 0444 273570 – levescovane.com

Where to eat in Lonigo

Osteria del Guà al Relais La Barchessa

Restaurant. Built in 1541 by Palladio, Villa Pisani Bonetti holds a contemporary art collection. The nearby Barchessa (rural service building) has instead become a prestigious relais, inside which is the Osteria del Guà. The prestigious setting of the dining room is enhanced by the similarly precious dehors under the loggia. Chef Marco Culeddu, with interesting creative ideas, gives value to raw materials from the territory and beyond, including reinterpretations of classic dishes and more original proposals. Adequate choice of wine.

Osteria del Guà al Relais La Barchessa – frazione Bagnolo via Risaie, 1 – 0444 432754 – osteriadelgua.it

La Peca

Restaurant. In the Venetian dialect peca means imprint. And the restaurant of the brothers Nicola and Pierluigi Portinari, Three Forks for the Guida Ristoranti d'Italia 2024, really leaves its mark. The place is very elegant, and you can enjoy a gorgeous view of the Beric Hills and the Rocca Pisana. The furnishing, the atmosphere, the touches that enrich the rooms, the attention to every detail, including the lights, all contribute to a pleasing stop. The cuisine – Nicola’s kingdom – walks along levels of excellence, with dishes that are little masterpieces of balance, harmony and taste. Wine list of the highest level.

La Peca – via A. Giovanelli, 2 – 0444 830214 – lapeca.it

Where to eat in Val Liona

Isetta

Trattoria. A pleasant establishment surrounded by greenery with solid, long-standing family management. At the cooker, Monica Gianesin prepares tasty, well-made dishes, interpreting traditional recipes with a modern touch. In addition, bread, breadsticks, fresh pasta and desserts are home-made. In the historic wine cellar, which is well worth a visit, rest hundreds of bottles chosen with passion and expertise. There is also a comfortable hotel, so if you do not want to take the road right after eating, you can take advantage of it.

Isetta – contrada Pederiva, 96 – 0444 889521 – trattoriaisetta.com

Trequarti

Restaurant. One is welcomed into a sober setting defined by light tones and a meticulous, minimalist mise en place. From the kitchen, the talented chef Alberto Basso brings to the table dishes that are never common, pleasing to the palate, with careful and detailed research into flavour combinations. Several tasting courses are available, which help to adjust the choice. Some tastings: heart of veal, fermented pumpkin and cocoa bread; tortelli with pulled pork, Tonka bean and yarrow; cod fillet, dill and lemon. Cellar up to scratch.

Trequarti – piazza del Donatore, 3 – 0444 889674 – ristorantetrequarti.com