Il Nazionale - Vernante (CN)

Il Nazionale Restaurant, with attached Hotel and Relais, is located in Vernante, the town famous for the Pinocchio murals.
You will find it overlooking the state road to Limone and Col di Tenda, although the entrance is off to the side from the small Via Cavour.
Stepping through the entrance to the dining room, one finds oneself in a bright room of refined elegance, a vast veranda furnished in mountain style, with exposed beams and beautiful wood floors, a central stone fireplace, and many pieces of furniture with a distinct personality.
The second dining room, which houses a few tables and a fireplace on the back wall, is that of the original trattoria, but completely renovated, with a beautiful exposed brick ceiling and the same wood floor that continues seamlessly from the first room. Note the chandelier made from thin sheets of balsa wood.
Present in Vernante for a century and a half, initially as a simple tavern to give refreshment to wayfarers, then as a quality restaurant, Il Nazionale has evolved in its offerings and look to become an essential gourmet stop.
Fabio Ingallinera's is a cuisine that we really like for its contemporary reinterpretation of tradition, with the use of modern techniques, for example fermentations, and raw materials of absolute excellence.
But it is in the underlying philosophy that Il Nazionale goes beyond the simple zero kilometer, with the intention of recreating in each dish the same harmony of the natural environment of origin: it is, thus that lamb meats are served with the same herbs on which the animal used to feed, deer meats with the vegetables found in its usual pastures...
It drinks very well, with a food-wine pairing of great depth, harmony and elegance: a special mention for Bartolomeo "Meo" Panero, Sommelier, who proposed us a surprising pairing.
Whether you just have a sweet tooth or are simply moved by spurts of philological research of the authentic dishes of memory, Il Nazionale is worth a special trip, all the more so now that the Col di Tenda highway is being reopened.
If you would like to extend your stay, the Hotel and Relais del Nazionale are at your disposal with an offer filled with pampering and attention.

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