Casa Buono

In February 2020 – one month before the first lockdown – Antonio Buono and his wife Valentina Florio opened a small restaurant in Trucco. Trucco is a hamlet with 200 inhabitants in Val Roja, on the provincial road between Ventimiglia and the Tenda Pass. Fewer than 20 seats, open kitchen, no à la carte menu. At the end of 2022, they received a Michelin star.

Antonio Buono's career explains the success: five years as head chef at Mirazur with Mauro Colagreco in Menton – the restaurant named best in the world in 2019. Before that, positions with Santi Santamaria. His cuisine is creative but not overwhelming – product-oriented, seasonal, using ingredients from their own garden and local small producers. The dishes surprise without shocking.

There are two menus: "Orto e Mare" (Garden and Sea) for 100 € or "Orto, Mare e Terra" (plus meat and cheese cart) for 125 €. What is served is decided by the chef daily based on availability. Dentice tartare with trout roe, gambero rosso with cream and herring caviar, capesante gnocchi with broccoli – each dish a play of colors, each course carefully considered.

Valentina runs the service with a mix of warmth and professionalism. The atmosphere is simple, modern, inviting – quartz tables, cloth napkins, view into the kitchen. The location on the provincial road is deceiving: inside, a different world opens up.