Italy’s GABICCE MONTE — In November, the Dalla Gioconda restaurant got a Michelin star, but it would be too easy to just talk about how good the food is.
The restaurant is on a hill in the town of Gabicce Monte. The view of the beaches of Gabicce Mare below is stunning, and the interior design is perfect. After all, it is a family business, and one of the co-owners, Stefano Bizzarri, works the tables. His wife, Allegra Tirotti Romanoff, who used to work for Etro, designed the interiors, and chef Davide di Fabio, who worked for 16 years at Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana, is in charge of the kitchen. The Ginori 1735 sets have beautiful porcelain.
Industry experts who look closely may see the links to Gucci, which are not a coincidence. Stefano is the son of Gucci’s former president and CEO, Marco Bizzarri. Bizzarri has been a friend of Bottura’s for a long time, and he is the one who set up the Gucci Osterias around the world for the Italian luxury brand. And Kering, which owns Gucci, also owns Ginori. Dalla Gioconda, on the other hand, is not part of Gucci. It is a very personal business that the three partners have been working hard to grow.
“I used to come here on vacation when I was a kid from my home in Rubiera, and I love this town,” says Stefano Bizzarri frankly. In the 1950s, Mrs. Gioconda, who gave the restaurant its name, ran it as a disco-pizzeria. At the time, the area was known for its music venues, and famous artists would come to play here.
There is still a jukebox in the diner, and music is a theme that runs through the whole place. Start the interesting menus that are written on LPs.
A tunnel that has been turned into an art and video gallery leads to the restaurant. Dalla Gioconda is made up of different levels, and the views of the sea below and the nature park of Mount San Bartolo are picture-perfect. In fact, Bizzarri puts postcards of this scenery that look old on each table and asks guests to send them. You don’t have to worry about finding a mailbox because he put one at the front door and gave you stamps. A touch that is so old that it looks and feels new.
![](https://ozifox.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/210620_GIOCONDA_DIGITAL-CONTENTS_LOCATION_03_031-819x1024.webp)
Near the garden, which is dotted with chaise longues where you can take a nap after lunch, there is a library with art books and, strangely, a small movie theater that shows Federico Fellini movies and black-and-white cult movies. After all, Fellini was born in Rimini, which is only about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Gabicce Monte. Gabicce Mare, which is below, is a tourist spot, as is the whole Adriatic coast. The town is in the northernmost part of the Marche region, right on the border with Emilia Romagna.
The dishes on the menu are based on local customs, but di Fabio has put his own spin on them. But neither the food nor the place have a hint of nostalgia. The young staff, who wear a casual uniform and Gucci sneakers, talk to guests without any stiffness.
“We like to get to know our customers, and our goal is to make them happy,” says Bizzarri with a smile.
Lodging is another way to strengthen the relationship, and he just showed off his latest project, which is two rooms and a suite in a building two minutes from the restaurant.
![](https://ozifox.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/210620_GIOCONDA_DIGITAL-CONTENTS_LOCATION_03_003-819x1024.webp)
This easygoing approach is shown by Bizzarri himself. He studied economics at Milan’s prestigious Bocconi University, became interested in botany, and traveled the world, from Brazil to Argentina and Australia, surfing during the day and working as a waiter in the evenings, which taught him about the restaurant business. He might have a man-bun because he used to be a surfer.
Bizzarri chose three years ago to take over Dalla Gioconda, fix it up, and reopen it in 2021.
So, parts of the decor, like the newly reupholstered old furniture and even a table from Thailand that he brought back from one of his trips, make it feel like home. His wife, Tirotti Romanoff, used things that were common to the area, like pink stones from the nearby Furlo gorge, grit floors, and a lot of brass, wood, and clay, to make the place feel like it had been there for a long time. There is also a gold-plated table that is set aside for a special treat: a sample menu that is made just for you.
On the Limonaia, a deck with a view, there is a bar that serves drinks.
Zuppiera, which means “soup bowl” in English, is a classic dish that combines seven different shapes of pasta with seven different kinds of fish and their broth. It is a dish that the eatery is known for.
![](https://ozifox.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/20220927_DALLA_GIOCONDA_DIGITAL-CONTENT_PIATTI_17_022-819x1024.webp)
Guests are often shocked to learn that the paccheri pasta with what looks like a tomato sauce is actually made with plums. It’s an unusual ingredient, but it tastes great. Other favorites include cuttlefish with a dip of peas, coconut milk, green curry, and basil, or prawns with tomatoes and elderberry.
“We grow our own vegetables to use local foods, and the dishes change depending on what fish is available,” says Bizzarri.
Respecting the land is important to Bizzarri and his partners. He is proud to say that Dalla Gioconda is the first restaurant in Italy that doesn’t use plastic and that the building has the LEED Gold certification.
“We have adopted Masanobu Fukuoka’s philosophy. He admired the perfection of nature and believed in natural farming,” Bizzarri says of the small amount of human involvement in farming.
![](https://ozifox.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/20220927_DALLA_GIOCONDA_DIGITAL-CONTENT_TRIO_045-819x1024.webp)
Bizzarri also loves wine, which is clear from the fact that his cellar is a surprise because it is underground and has secret passageways that lead to the foundations of a nearby castle. It has 1,300 different wine brands and 10,000 bottles, including Champagne, verdicchio, sauterne, riesling, mosel, bordeaux, and bolgheri.
The restaurant has space for 40 people and is the only one in the area that is open in the winter.
Dalla Gioconda has also done catering for events with companies like BMW, Ferrari, and Lamborghini, such as during Design Week.
But as he builds Dalla Gioconda, Bizzarri can see as far into the future as the view from the restaurant’s windows. Even though he comes from a fashion-forward family, he makes it clear that he doesn’t want the place to be the latest and greatest “in” spot for a short time.
“I don’t want Dalla Gioconda to be tied down to trends,” he says.