Restaurant in Cagli, Italy
Truffle-season country cooking at honest prices.

La Gioconda holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2024 and 2025, making it the clearest value proposition in Cagli's dining scene. Chef Pietro Carlo Pezzati's menu leans hard on Marche hinterland produce — truffles in season, strong regional wines, and a price tier that makes the Michelin credential feel like a genuine find rather than a splurge.
La Gioconda sits on Via Brancuti in the historic centre of Cagli, a small hill town in the Marche hinterland that most travellers bypass entirely. That's your opportunity. This is a Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient for both 2024 and 2025 — meaning the Michelin inspectors found food of genuine quality at prices that don't require justification. For a first-timer, the short version is this: book it, go hungry, and plan your visit around what's growing in the Apennine hills that week.
La Gioconda is a country cooking restaurant in the fullest sense of that term. Chef Pietro Carlo Pezzati builds the menu around what the Cagli region and the Marche hinterland actually produce , and the kitchen's relationship with local suppliers is the engine of the whole experience. Truffle is the headline ingredient. Both black and white truffles appear in season, and the difference between visiting in October (white truffle season) versus midsummer is significant enough to shape your booking decision. If truffle is on your agenda, white truffle season runs roughly October through December; black truffle is more available through winter and into spring. Time your reservation accordingly.
The aroma you'll notice first , before you've looked at a menu or taken a seat , is the earthy, forest-floor intensity that comes when truffle is being worked in a kitchen nearby. In the Marche hills, that scent is not decorative; it tells you the kitchen is using the real thing. That's a useful signal.
Beyond truffle, the menu pays deliberate tribute to local identity. One dessert is explicitly named in memory of Cagli-born sculptor Eliseo Mattiacci: the "fabbrica del cosmo," built from yoghurt, wafers, and strawberries. It's a small detail, but it tells you something about how this kitchen operates , rooted, specific, and not trying to be somewhere else. For a first-timer, ordering it is the right call; it's a dish you won't find anywhere else in Italy.
The list leans heavily toward Marche producers , Verdicchio, Rosso Piceno, and the other regional appellations that rarely get exposure outside central Italy. There are bottles from further afield for those who want them, but the local selection is the reason to engage with this list. If you're unfamiliar with Marche wines, this is a low-risk place to explore them: the price tier is €€, which means the list is priced accessibly, and the selections are curated to match the kitchen's regional identity. Ask for a recommendation and trust it.
Reservations: Book 1–2 weeks ahead for most of the year; during white truffle season (October–December), book 3–4 weeks out minimum , this is when the restaurant draws visitors from beyond Cagli and tables become harder to secure. Booking difficulty: Easy outside peak season; moderate during truffle season. Budget: €€ price range , among the most affordable Bib Gourmand options in central Italy. Dress: No formal dress code is confirmed in available data; smart casual is appropriate for a historic-centre restaurant of this standing. Getting there: Cagli is a small hill town in the Pesaro-Urbino province of the Marche region; a car is the practical way to arrive. Contact: No phone or website is listed in current data , arrive via a reservation platform or enquire directly when visiting Cagli. For more options in the area, see our full Cagli restaurants guide, and for where to stay, our full Cagli hotels guide.
The single biggest variable at La Gioconda is the season. The kitchen's commitment to local ingredients means the menu shifts with what's available in the hills , and those shifts matter. White truffle season (autumn) is the peak visit window: the ingredient is at its most fragrant, the kitchen is at its most focused, and the gap between what you'll eat here versus what a similar budget buys in a city restaurant is at its widest. Black truffle extends the truffle-forward experience through winter. Spring and summer visits are still worthwhile , the regional produce is strong and the Bib Gourmand standard holds year-round , but if you have the flexibility to choose, October or November is the answer.
For those planning a wider trip through central Italy's dining scene, Uliassi in Senigallia offers a higher-ambition, higher-price Marche experience on the Adriatic coast, while Reale in Castel di Sangro covers the Apennine-region creative cooking territory at the opposite end of the price spectrum. La Gioconda sits between those reference points: Bib Gourmand quality, country cooking format, honest prices. Other country cooking restaurants operating in a comparable register include 21.9 in Piobesi d'Alba and Andrea Monesi - Locanda di Orta in Orta San Giulio, both of which share the same regional-produce-first philosophy, though in different parts of northern Italy.
La Gioconda is also worth considering alongside other serious Italian dining options for trip planning purposes. Osteria Francescana in Modena, Piazza Duomo in Alba, Quattro Passi in Marina del Cantone, and Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli in Verona each represent different points on the Italian restaurant spectrum. La Gioconda's value proposition is distinct from all of them: it's the one where the Michelin credential and the bill are furthest apart.
If you're exploring beyond restaurants while in Cagli, our full Cagli bars guide, our full Cagli wineries guide, and our full Cagli experiences guide cover the broader options in the area.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Gioconda | Situated in the heart of the historic centre, this restaurant pays tribute to the Cagli region and the Marche hinterland. Dishes feature the best local ingredients, such as truffles in season (both black and white), as well as a dessert in memory of local sculptor Eliseo Mattiacci (the “fabbrica del cosmo” made with yoghurt, wafers and strawberries). The wine list shows a strong preference for the Marche, but also features wines from further afield.; Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025); Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024) | €€ | — |
| Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Dal Pescatore | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Enoteca Pinchiorri | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Enrico Bartolini | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Le Calandre | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
What to weigh when choosing between La Gioconda and alternatives.
Book 1–2 weeks out for most of the year. During white truffle season (October–December), push that to 3–4 weeks minimum — this is when the Bib Gourmand recognition pulls the most interest and tables go fast. Walk-ins may work on quieter weekdays outside truffle season, but it is not worth the risk if you are travelling specifically to eat here.
Yes, with the right expectations. The €€ price range and country cooking format make it a strong choice for a low-key celebratory meal rather than a formal occasion. The standout move is timing a birthday or anniversary around truffle season — black and white truffles feature on the menu when in season, and the kitchen's tribute dessert to local sculptor Eliseo Mattiacci adds a genuinely local and memorable touch. If you need a grand dining room and silver service, this is the wrong venue.
There are no other Michelin-recognised restaurants documented in Cagli itself, which makes La Gioconda the clearest anchor for serious eating in the town. For a comparable Bib Gourmand-level experience in the broader Marche region, you would need to look to larger towns in the province. La Gioconda's specific value is its combination of Bib Gourmand recognition, local truffle focus, and €€ pricing in a setting most travellers overlook entirely.
Nothing in the venue data rules it out, and a small country cooking restaurant in a historic hill town is generally a more comfortable solo experience than a large formal dining room. At €€ pricing, the financial commitment is low, and the counter-style engagement with regional dishes suits solo exploration well. Worth calling ahead to confirm seating arrangements if you have concerns.
No dietary policy is documented for La Gioconda. Given the kitchen's strong focus on local and seasonal Marche ingredients — including truffles and regionally specific dishes — the menu is likely relatively fixed rather than highly adaptable. check the venue's official channels before booking if you have specific requirements; the address is Via Brancuti, 4, Cagli.
No tasting menu format is confirmed in the venue data, so this cannot be assessed directly. La Gioconda operates as a country cooking restaurant at €€ pricing, which typically suggests an à la carte or short set-menu format rather than a multi-course tasting progression. The Michelin Bib Gourmand award — given specifically for good food at moderate prices — supports the idea that the value case here is about the overall meal rather than a formal tasting format.
Yes. The €€ price range combined with two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand awards (2024 and 2025) makes a strong case on value alone. The Bib Gourmand is awarded specifically for quality cooking at non-premium prices, so this is Michelin explicitly endorsing the value equation. Add seasonal truffles and a Marche-focused wine list, and La Gioconda delivers more than most restaurants at this price point in the region.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.