Antica Corona Reale

Antica Corona Reale is a historic two-Michelin-star restaurant in the small town of Cervere, in the plains near Bra and Fossano in southern Piedmont, run by the Vivalda family in a building that has served travellers since 1815. Chef Gian Piero Vivalda continues a multi-generational tradition, presenting refined Piedmontese cuisine that honours the region's classics while applying the precision expected of a two-star kitchen. The restaurant is closely identified with the local Cervere leek, a prized seasonal speciality grown in the surrounding fields and celebrated each winter, which appears in delicate dishes when in season. Other signatures include hand-pinched agnolotti del plin and a textbook vitello tonnato, alongside tasting menus that move through the Piedmontese calendar and feature white truffle in autumn. The dining room is elegant and classically appointed, gracious rather than minimalist, with the polished, attentive service of a long-established family restaurant and a smart-casual to elegant dress expectation. The cellar is deep and serious, strong in Barolo, Barbaresco and the wider Piedmontese range, with expert pairing guidance. Prices are at the upper end befitting two stars, with tasting menus the centrepiece. Because it is a destination restaurant somewhat off the main tourist routes, reservations are essential and should be made well in advance, particularly for the autumn truffle season and the winter Cervere leek period. Its quiet setting rewards travellers willing to seek it out for one of Piedmont's most refined meals.