The Michelin Guide Italy 2025 surprise: Giancarlo Perbellini raised the number of three-star restaurants to 14

The “Star Revelations” were on stage recently, for the first time in Modena, at Teatro Pavarotti-Freni, celebrating the 70th edition of the famous Michelin Guide. The elite of Italian catering, according to the verdict of the Michelin Guide Italy 2025, have been crowned: Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli of Chef Giancarlo Perbellini in Verona is the new Italian three-star Michelin restaurant, bringing the total to 14 three-starred restaurants in Italy; Villa Crespi in Orta San Giulio by Chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo has been reconfirmed (and the Chef was awarded “Chef Mentor” 2025, because “he discovers and trains young talents throughout Italy”, such as Gianluca Renzi of Cannavacciuolo Le Cattedrali by Laqua in Asti , and Gianni Bertone of Cannavacciuolo by the Lake in Pettenasco, who won his first Star. The Chef , who now has 10 stars, has dedicated the award to the young chefs, because, he said, “today I am a dream has come true for me and I want the same to happen to you, too”); Le Calandre di Rubano of the Alajmo Brothers; Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence of Giorgio Pinchiorri and Annie Féolde with Riccardo Monco; Uliassi in Senigallia of Mauro Uliassi; Piazza Duomo in Alba of Enrico Crippa (and the Barolo Ceretto family); Dal Pescatore in Canneto sull’Oglio of the Santini family; La Pergola del Rome Cavalieri in Rome of Heinz Beck; Da Vittorio in Brusaporto of the Cerea Brothers; Osteria Francescana in Modena of Massimo Bottura; Reale in Castel di Sangro of Niko Romito; Atelier Moessmer in Brunico of Norbert Niederkofler; Quattro Passi in Nerano of Fabrizio Mellino and Enrico Bartolini at Mudec in Milan of Enrico Bartolini (the chef that has the most stars in Italy, second, in Europe, only to Alain Ducasse, thanks to the former Casual in Bergamo, Villa Elena with Chef Marco Galtarossa, who from one star, now has two stars, for a total of 14 Stars). The Stars “rained” down on Italy - 1 new three Stars, 2 new two Stars, Villa Elena and Campo del Drago of Chef Matteo Temperini in the Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco “3 Chiavi Michelin” in Montalcino, and 33 new one-star restaurants in 13 Regions. Overall, Italy now boasts 393 starred restaurants (3rd in the world after France and Japan, even though there are two fewer stars than in 2024, when the total was 395). 341 restaurants have one Star, 38 have two stars, 69 Green Stars for sustainability, 11 new entries, and 250 Bib Gourmand restaurants, and 16 new entries, which are led by very young chefs that have been trained by the best chefs in Italy.
For instance, Massimo Bottura, the most famous Italian chef in the world, whose chef Jessica Rosval has won a Star and a Green Star for the restaurant “Al Gatto Verde” in Modena. Modena is definitely one of the capitals of the Italian “Food Valley”, with its Lambrusco, the “Red Wine Partner” of the event, Parmigiano Reggiano, Balsamic Vinegar, Prosciutto di Modena, zampone and cotechino, tortellini and, of course, Osteria Francescana (whose three Stars had been reconfirmed recently). Modena is also where, for the first time, the “Star Revelation” of the Michelin Guide Italy 2025 took place. To celebrate its 70th edition, the Guide has chosen to return to Emilia Romagna ( Parma and Piacenza had hosted the ceremony in the past), against the backdrop of a land that has been hit extremely hard by floods, but that has always managed to get back up on its feet (where “wine & food is worth 30 billion euros, and, moreover it is our cultural heritage”, Alessio Miani, Councillor for Agriculture for the Emilia Romagna Region, said, building a bridge of solidarity towards Spain and the Region of Valencia). Davide Oldani’s Olmo restaurant, in San Pietro all’Olmo, also received a new star given to Riccardo Merli.
Chef Giancarlo Perbellini, the new three-star chef in Italy at Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli in Verona, who now boasts three Stars, and is a part of the city’s history, the backdrop of his personal and professional history. This is where, he said, “I trained when I was very young, and today I narrate my story through my creations in the kitchen”. And, it is where the history of Italian food has battled, as “bringing 12 Apostoli back to the top took a triple somersault, which was successful, thanks to our team of young people and their great enthusiasm, from the dining room to the kitchen”. Chef Perbellini, interviewed by WineNews, added that “the engine that moves everything is passion, which starts when we are children, where we should return to rediscover manual skills and go back to playing with the things that are part of our being and our history, the dreams that keep you alive as an adult. The uniqueness of our products, the taste, our rich history, and the many passionate people who tell about and promote it, are, instead, the values of Italian cuisine, together with the diversity in each Region”.
The history of Italian gastronomy is also written in the Michelin Guide Italy, which has just celebrated 70 editions. It began in 1956 when its title was, “Italy. From the Alps to Siena”, and by the following year it had expanded to cover the entire Country. There were no Stars, then, but the information necessary for people to travel well and comfortably. The Stars came in 1959, and since then the Guide has evolved, adding more and more information for travelers and experimenting with new communication channels as well as the iconic paper version that distinguishes the most authoritative and feared “Red” Guide in the world. It would take an entire event to tell the stories in its “archives”. However, one of the most beautiful stories is about a restaurant that has been in the Guide since 1956, and has boasted a Star since 1959. It is called, Arnaldo Clinica Gastronomica, in Rubiera, Reggio Emilia, a historic family restaurant of Chef Roberto Bottero, third generation, managed with his wife, Ramona, and, now, with his son. Many illustrious guests have sat at its tables, such as the great tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, and Enzo Ferrari, owner of Ferrari, the most famous “Rossa” in the world, and it received a Special Award. “Today we celebrate 70 years of success and satisfaction that the great chefs in this Country have given us,” said Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guide. “Italian cuisine is one of the most fascinating because of its history and its connection with the territories. It is no coincidence that it is one of those that influence the world gastronomic scene”. This year's publication is as rich as the previous one (it includes around 2.000 restaurants). It includes 130 new restaurants and 36 new starred restaurants, a sign that the Country is maintaining all of its dynamism in terms of gastronomy, and the majority of chefs focusing on local cuisine, using small local producers as much as possible. The Region with the most new restaurants is Lombardy - 10 starred restaurants -, followed by Campania and Tuscany, each counting 5, and in third place Emilia-Romagna that has 4 new restaurants. In the Michelin Star ranking by Region, Lombardy is the leader, counting 61 restaurants (3 three Stars, 7 two Stars, 51 one Star), Campania confirms second place counting 50 restaurants (1 three Stars, 7 two Stars, 42 one Star), while on the third place is Tuscany, 44 restaurants (1 three Stars, 5 two Stars, 38 one Star). Piedmont has slipped to fourth place, counting 35 restaurants (2 three stars, 3 two stars, 30 one star), while Veneto has confirmed fifth place with 34 starred restaurants (2 three stars, 3 two stars, 29 one star). At the top of the “Top 5” of the Provinces, Naples confirms its position with 27 restaurants, followed by Rome, 23 and Milan, 20. “It’s a great year” for Italy, Poullennec added. Thanks to the trend that has lasted several years, fortunately, and to the many very young chefs. Out of the 36 new entries, there are 14 chefs aged 35 or under, and 4 of whom are 30 or under.
This is the reason why, just like in the 2024 edition (two new Three Stars, Norbert Niederkofler of Atelier Moessmer and Fabrizio Mellino of Quattro Passi), the 2025 Michelin Guide Italy is shuffling the cards again. The new entries include two Michelin Stars for two restaurants - Chef Matteo Temperini of Campo del Drago restaurant, in the Brunello vineyards in Montalcino, who told WineNews, “this award is a guarantee for the future”. Then, there are comebacks, such as Don Alfonso 1890 in Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi of the Iaccarino family with Chef Ernesto Iaccarino, who won back the Star, and and was also awarded the Green Star, and excellence. The well-known case of Enrico Bartolini, confirmed the most starred chef in Italy, second in Europe only to Alain Ducasse and awarded by Michelin “Chef Mentor” in 2022, counting 14 Stars plus one Green one: three with Enrico Bartolini at the Mudec-Museum of Cultures in Milan, two with Glam at Palazzo Venart in Venice (Chef Donato Ascani), Locanda del Sant’Uffizio of the Relais Sant’Uffizio in Cioccaro di Penango (Chef Gabriele Boffa), Villa Elena in Bergamo in Città Alta (Chef Marco Galtarossa), and one each at Anima Ristorante of the Hotel Una Verticale-Una Esperienze also in Milan (Chef Michele Cobuzzi), at Il Fuoco Sacro of the Petra Segreta Resort & Spa in San Pantaleo in Sardinia (Chefs Luigi Bergeretto and Alessandro Menditto), at Poggio Rosso of Borgo San Felice Relais & Chateaux of the Allianz Group in Castelnuovo Berardenga (Chef Juan Camilo Quintero, and the Green Star for sustainability), at Trattoria Enrico Bartolini of the Andana Resort of the Terra Moretti Group in Castiglione della Pescaia (Chef De Moura Cossio Bruno), and at Bluh Furore of the Furore Grand Hotel on the Amalfi Coast of the Irollo de Lutiis family (Chef Vincenzo Russo).
Last but not least, the official Michelin toast, and the Franciacorta Consortium, “Sparkling Wine Partner”, supporter of the “Michelin Sommelier Award”, which is one of the Special Awards that Michelin Guide Italy 2025 awarded to Oscar Mazzoleni of Carroponte in Bergamo, a cult destination for wine lovers, whose sponsor “is an expert and passionate sommelier that thanks to his large wine cellar satisfies every customer”, in the wake of the three-year partnership of the prestigious Metodo Classico (which has seen Franciacorta, in recent years, as “Destination Partner”) and the “Red Guide”, renewed for another three years and extended to the USA, the number 1 market for Italian wine. “We express our gratitude to Italian restaurants, their chefs and their top sommeliers, a job that requires passion, expertise and a lot of time to dedicate to perfect service,” said Silvano Brescianini, the president of the Franciacorta Consortium. “Our partnership with Michelin continues in the US, where, as in the rest of the world, it is increasingly essential for Italian wine to accompany Italian haute cuisine and its great chefs.”

Focus - Michelin Guide Italy 2025: 3 Michelin Stars
Alba - Piazza Duomo
Brunico - Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler
Brusaporto - Da Vittorio
Castel di Sangro - Reale
Florence - Enoteca Pinchiorri
Milan - Enrico Bartolini al Mudec
Modena - Osteria Francescana
Nerano - Quattro Passi
Orta San Giulio - Villa Crespi
Rome - La Pergola
Rubano - Le Calandre
Runate - Dal Pescatore
Senigallia - Uliassi
Verona - Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli N
2 Michelin Stars

Anacapri - L’Olivo
Bergamo - Villa Elena N
Brusciano - Taverna Estia
Castellammare di Stabia - Piazzetta Milù
Cervere - Antica Corona Reale
Cioccaro - Locanda Sant’Uffizio Enrico Bartolini
Colle di Val d’Elsa - Arnolfo
Concesio - Miramonti l’Altro
Cornaredo - D’O
Florence - Santa Elisabetta
Gargnano - Villa Feltrinelli
Udine - Agli Amici
Imola - San Domenico
Ischia - daní maison
Licata - La Madia
Longiano - Magnolia
Lonigo - La Peca
Lughetto - Antica Osteria Cera
Senigallia - Madonnina del Pescatore
Milan - Verso Capitaneo
Milan - Andrea Aprea
Milan - Seta by Antonio Guida
Montalcino - Campo del Drago N
Montemerano - Caino
Naples - George Restaurant
Ragusa - Duomo
Rome - Acquolina
Rome - Il Pagliaccio
Rome - Enoteca La Torre
Sarentino - Terra The Magic Place
Serralunga d’Alba - La Rei Natura by Michelangelo Mammoliti
Taormina - St. George by Heinz Beck
Telese - Krèsios
Tirolo - Castel fine dining
Trieste - Harry’s Piccolo
Venice - Glam Enrico Bartolini
Viareggio - Il Piccolo Principe
Vico Equense - Torre del Saracino

New Entries 1 Michelin Star

Agnone - Locanda Mammì
Albiate - Grow Restaurant
Asti - Cannavacciuolo Le Cattedrali Asti
Bagno di Romagna - Ristorante del Lago
Baronissi - Cetaria
Carovigno - Dissapore di Andrea Catalano
Castelnuovo Berardenga - Contrada
Cesenatico - Ancòra
Chiusdino - Saporium
Cornaredo - Olmo
Dolcedo - Equilibrio
Fiesole - Serrae Villa Fiesole
Fiorano Modenese - Alto
Fosdinovo - Locanda de Banchieri
Gragnano - O Me O Il Mare
Lamezia Terme - Abbruzzino Oltre
Milan - Moebius Sperimentale
Milan - Sine by Di Pinto
Modena - Al Gatto Verde
Monza - Il Circolino
Olgiate Olona - Acqua
Pettenasco - Cannavacciuolo by the Lake
Pinzolo - Grual
Ponte San Pietro - Cucina Cereda
Puegnago sul Garda - Casa Leali
Rome - Achilli al Parlamento
Sant’Agata Sui Due Golfi - Don Alfonso 1890
Sirmione - Tancredi
Squille - Marotta
Taormina - Vineria Modì
Venice - Palais Royal Restaurant
Verona - Iris Ristorante
Vietri sul Mare - Volta del Fluenti by Michele De Blasio

“Special Awards”

Sommelier Award 2025 by Consorzio Franciacorta
Oscar Mazzoleni, Al Carroponte, Bergamo
Service Award 2025 by Intrecci - Restaurant Service High School Vanessa Melis, Pascucci al Porticciolo, Fiumicino
Young Chef Award 2025 given by Maicol Izzo, winner 2024 to
Matteo Vergine, Grow Restaurant, Albiate (also awards 1 Michelin Star)
Chef Mentor Award 2025 by Blancpain
Antonino Cannavacciuolo, Villa Crespi, Orta San Giulio
Dessert Passion Award 2025 by Molino Dalla Giovanna
Riva, Antonio Lerro, Numana
Wine Bar Award, Davide Palluda, Canale
Il Visibilio, Daniele Canella, Castelnuovo Berardenga
Re Santi e Leoni, Luigi Salomone, Nola
Inkiostro, Salvatore Morello, Parma
Agli Amici Dopolavoro, Martina Peluso, Venezia
Coltivare, Luca Zecchin , La Morra

Green Stars

Villa Maiella, Arcangelo Tinari, Guardiagrele
Prezioso, Egn Heiss, Merano
Artifex, Tina Marcelli, Brennero
Don Alfonso 1890, Ernesto Iaccarino, Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi
Al Gatto Verde, Jessica Rosval, Modena
Ronchi Rò, Fares Issa, Dolegna del Collio
Agriturismo Ferdy, Alessio Manzoni, Lenna
Il Tiglio, Enrico Mazzaroni, Montemonaco
Locanda La Raia, Gavi
Il Cappero, Onofrio Pagnotto, Isola di Vulcano
Bistrot, Andrea Mattei, Forte dei Marmi