Don Alfonso 1890

Don Alfonso 1890 in Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi is one of the most significant restaurants in Italy, a two-Michelin-star institution that has defined the standard for fine southern Italian cuisine since its founding by Alfonso Iaccarino in 1890, with the current family generation — Alfonso and Livia Iaccarino — elevating it to international prominence across the latter decades of the twentieth century. The restaurant sits at the summit of the Sorrentine Peninsula in a village between the Bay of Naples and the Bay of Salerno, a location whose name (the two gulfs) is a literal description of its extraordinary geographical position. The Iaccarino family owns a coastal estate at Punta Campanella where they grow much of the produce used in the kitchen: heritage tomatoes, herbs, citrus, and olive oil — a level of farm-to-table integration rare even among Europe's starred restaurants. The tasting menu is the vehicle through which the kitchen best expresses its ambitions: a sequence of courses that reinterpret the flavours of Campania with refinement, technique, and an evident respect for seasonal rhythm. The cellar is exceptional, with deep selections of Campanian wines alongside major Italian and international producers, and the dining room is housed within a historic building with a terrace overlooking the valley. Jacket is recommended for dinner. Advance booking of several weeks, and in summer months possibly months in advance, is essential to secure a table.