Restaurant in Rubiera, Italy
One Michelin star, €€€ price, easy access.
A Michelin-starred Emilian kitchen inside a 13th-century fort in Rubiera, Osteria del Viandante delivers serious regional cooking and a 2,500-selection wine list at €€€ pricing — a tier below most comparable starred restaurants in northern Italy. Chef Jacopo Malpeli's rooted approach to Emilian tradition earns the star. Book well in advance: this is a hard reservation.
Osteria del Viandante holds one Michelin star (2024) and sits inside a 13th-century military fort in the centre of Rubiera — a combination that makes it one of the harder reservations to land in the Emilia-Romagna region. Tables at this level of recognition in a town this size sell out weeks in advance, often longer during peak season (spring and autumn, when the Po Valley's food calendar is at its richest). If you are planning a trip around this meal, book before you book your flights.
The setting alone does not explain the demand. What draws food-focused travellers to Piazza Ventiquattro Maggio is a restaurant that carries genuine Michelin-starred quality without the formality or price point of the region's heavier hitters. At €€€ pricing — expect to pay well above €66 per head for a two-course meal before wine , Osteria del Viandante sits a tier below the €€€€ ceiling occupied by restaurants like Dal Pescatore in Runate or Le Calandre in Rubano, yet it delivers a credentialled, deeply rooted Emilian experience that those venues match only at considerably higher cost.
The fort's first floor holds five dining rooms, all frescoed , except the old limonaia, which is lined with wallpaper referencing its original use as a lemon-house. The transition between rooms gives the space a layered quality: you are eating inside a working piece of medieval civic architecture, not a restaurant that has borrowed some antique furniture. The atmosphere reads romantic and composed rather than stiff, which is consistent with a room that appears to attract both serious wine travellers and anniversary diners in roughly equal proportion. Google reviewers rate it 4.7 across 391 reviews, a score that holds up well given the volume.
Chef Jacopo Malpeli was raised between Parma and Reggio Emilia, which places him directly inside the culinary geography his cooking references. His menu sits in the tradition of grand Emilian cuisine , tortellini country, cured meats, rich slow-cooked sauces , but the approach reads as considered rather than nostalgic. The savarin di riso on the menu is a deliberate tribute to Mirella and Peppino Cantarelli, whose former two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Samboseto is part of the region's culinary memory. For a food traveller with any knowledge of Emilia-Romagna's dining history, that reference is worth noting: it signals where Malpeli is situating himself within the tradition, and it gives the dish a weight that goes beyond the plate.
The wine programme deserves serious attention. Wine director and general manager Andrè Joao Cunha Fiaes oversees a list of 2,500 selections backed by a cellar of 10,000 bottles, with particular depth in Italian and French labels alongside a champagne selection. Corkage is set at $40 for those bringing their own. At $$$ pricing on the wine side, expect a range that includes many bottles above the €100 mark , this is a serious list, not a decorative one, and it rewards guests who want to drink well alongside the food. Sommelier Mauro Rizzi is named on the team, which suggests tableside guidance is available for those working through an unfamiliar producer or region.
Osteria del Viandante serves lunch and dinner, which gives it more flexibility than many comparable starred restaurants that run dinner-only services. This matters if you are routing through Rubiera on a longer Emilia-Romagna itinerary , a midday reservation is often easier to land than an evening one, and the frescoed rooms in afternoon light are a different experience from a candlelit dinner. For guests building a wider programme, our full Rubiera restaurants guide covers the broader options in town, and Arnaldo - Clinica Gastronomica is the other name worth knowing at the local level.
For regional context, Emilia-Romagna is dense with strong Emilian kitchens. Al Cavallino Bianco in Polesine Parmense and Al Vedel in Vedole offer grounded Emilian cooking at lower price points if the budget is the deciding factor. At the other end of the range, Osteria Francescana in Modena operates at three-Michelin-star level roughly 20 kilometres away , a different proposition entirely, but worth flagging for travellers building a serious Emilian eating trip. For hotels, bars, wineries, and experiences in the area, see our Rubiera hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide.
Book Osteria del Viandante if you want a Michelin-starred Emilian meal that does not require a €€€€ budget or a trip to a major city. The combination of a serious wine list, a chef working with genuine regional roots, a historically significant setting, and a price tier that remains accessible by the standards of starred Italian dining makes this a well-constructed case for the diversion to Rubiera. The booking difficulty is real , treat this as a hard reservation and plan accordingly.
Practical summary: Michelin 1 Star (2024) | €€€ cuisine, $$$ wine | Lunch and dinner | 2,500-selection wine list, 10,000-bottle cellar | Corkage €40 | 4.7/5 on Google (391 reviews) | Book well in advance , treat as a hard reservation.
Yes, and it is one of the stronger special-occasion options at this price tier in Emilia-Romagna. The frescoed rooms inside a 13th-century fort give the setting genuine gravitas without requiring the €€€€ spend of a Dal Pescatore or Le Calandre evening. The Michelin star (2024) provides external validation that the kitchen is operating at the level the setting promises. For anniversaries or milestone dinners where atmosphere and food quality both matter, this works well. Book the evening service if you can , the frescoed rooms read differently at night.
No specific dietary restriction information is available in our data. Given the Emilian tradition the kitchen works within , a cuisine built substantially on pasta, pork, and dairy , guests with significant restrictions should contact the restaurant directly before booking. The absence of a listed phone number or website in our current data means reaching them may require going through a third-party booking platform or emailing directly. Do not assume flexibility on this; confirm in advance.
At €€€ (two courses above €66 before wine), yes , particularly relative to the starred Emilian alternatives. Comparable one-star experiences in the region and at the national level frequently price into the €€€€ tier. Here you get a serious wine programme (2,500 selections, 10,000-bottle cellar), a chef with credentialled regional roots, and a Michelin-recognised kitchen inside a medieval fort. The value case holds up if Emilian cooking is what you are after. If you want progressive or creative cooking at higher ambition, venues like Piazza Duomo in Alba or Reale in Castel di Sangro operate in a different register.
No bar dining information is confirmed in our data. The restaurant is described as having five dining rooms across a first-floor fort space, which does not suggest a bar counter setup in the way some urban wine-forward restaurants offer. If a more casual entry point is what you need, our Rubiera bars guide covers the options in town.
The savarin di riso is the dish most worth ordering , it is explicitly flagged as a signature and carries a deliberate historical reference to the Cantarelli restaurant in Samboseto, a former two-Michelin-starred institution in the region. Beyond that, the kitchen's focus on Emilian culinary tradition means the pasta and locally sourced dishes are where the cooking should be strongest. Ask sommelier Mauro Rizzi for guidance on pairing , with 2,500 labels on the list, tableside advice will make a real difference to how the meal lands.
Arnaldo - Clinica Gastronomica is the other name to know in Rubiera itself. For the broader region, Al Cavallino Bianco in Polesine Parmense and Al Vedel in Vedole offer Emilian cooking at lower price points. If you want to stay in the starred tier, Osteria Francescana in Modena is the regional benchmark at three stars, though the budget and booking difficulty are considerably higher. See our full Rubiera restaurants guide for a complete picture.
No confirmed tasting menu details are available in our current data. Given the kitchen's Michelin-star credential and Emilian focus, a tasting format , if offered , would be the format most likely to show Malpeli's cooking at its fullest. Contact the restaurant directly to confirm current menu options before assuming one is available. At the €€€ pricing tier, a tasting menu would represent strong value by starred Italian standards if it is on offer.
Three things: First, book early , this is a hard reservation and the restaurant's size and recognition mean it fills up, particularly at weekends and during spring and autumn travel peaks. Second, treat the wine list as part of the experience, not an afterthought , 2,500 selections and a dedicated sommelier make this one of the stronger wine programmes at this price tier in the region. Third, the historical setting (a 13th-century fort with frescoed rooms) is not incidental backdrop , it is genuinely part of what you are paying for, and arriving with some awareness of that context will make the meal land better. Check our Rubiera experiences guide for what to pair with the visit.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osteria del Viandante | Situated on the first floor of the 13C military fort in the centre of Rubiera, this elegant restaurant boasts five dining rooms, each one more delightful than the last and all frescoed, with the exception of the old limonaia which is decorated with wallpaper depicting its former function. This stylish and romantic setting provides the backdrop for young and enthusiastic chef Jacopo Malpeli who, having been born and raised between Parma and Reggio, creates cuisine that reflects the grandeur and opulence of local culinary traditions. Among his many interesting dishes, a particular favourite is the savarin di riso, which pays tribute to the legendary Mirella and Peppino Cantarelli and their former two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Samboseto. The extraordinary wine list includes several French wines alongside Italian labels and champagnes.; WINE: Wine Strengths: Italy, France Pricing: $$$ i Wine pricing: Based on the list\'s general markup and high and low price points:$ has many bottles < $50;$$ has a range of pricing;$$$ has many $100+ bottles Corkage Fee: $40 Selections: 2,500 Inventory: 10,000 CUISINE: Cuisine Types: Italian Pricing: $$$ i Cuisine pricing: The cost of a typical two-course meal, not including tip or beverages.$ is < $40;$$ is $40–$65;$$$ is $66+. Meals: Lunch and Dinner STAFF: People Andrè Joao Cunha Fiaes:Wine Director Wine Director: Andrè Joao Cunha Fiaes Sommelier: Mauro Rizzi Chef: Jacopo Malpeli General Manager: Andrè Joao Cunha Fiaes Owner: Marco Bizzarri; Situated on the first floor of the 13C military fort in the centre of Rubiera, this elegant restaurant boasts five dining rooms, each one more delightful than the last and all frescoed, with the exception of the old limonaia which is decorated with wallpaper depicting its former function. This stylish and romantic setting provides the backdrop for young and enthusiastic chef Jacopo Malpeli who, having been born and raised between Parma and Reggio, creates cuisine that reflects the grandeur and opulence of local culinary traditions. Among his many interesting dishes, a particular favourite is the savarin di riso, which pays tribute to the legendary Mirella and Peppino Cantarelli and their former two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Samboseto. The extraordinary wine list includes several French wines alongside Italian labels and champagnes.; Michelin 1 Star (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 Osteria del Viandante and alternatives.
Yes, and it earns that rating on two counts: a Michelin star (2024) and a setting inside a 13th-century frescoed fort in central Rubiera that few comparable restaurants can match structurally. Five dining rooms give the kitchen flexibility to seat couples and larger groups without sacrificing atmosphere. For a landmark anniversary or a celebration dinner in Emilia-Romagna, this is a strong choice at a €€€ price point that won't require the spend of a multi-star option.
No specific dietary accommodation policy is documented for this venue. Given that Jacopo Malpeli's cooking is rooted in Emilian tradition, dishes lean on pasta, dairy, and meat — so guests with significant restrictions should check the venue's official channels before booking to confirm what's possible.
At €€€ for a two-course meal, it sits in the same tier as many unstirred regional trattorie but delivers Michelin-starred cooking from a chef trained between Parma and Reggio. That combination is hard to find outside major Italian cities. If you're already in Emilia-Romagna, the value case is clear: you're getting a credentialed kitchen in a genuinely unusual space without paying the premium of a two- or three-star table.
Bar seating is not documented for this venue. The restaurant operates across five dining rooms on the first floor of a 13th-century fort, which suggests a table-service format throughout. For a casual drop-in drink, this is not the right address — book a table.
The savarin di riso is the dish the kitchen is publicly associated with: it pays direct tribute to Mirella and Peppino Cantarelli of the former two-Michelin-starred Samboseto restaurant, making it both a signature and a piece of Emilian culinary history. Beyond that, the menu follows the broader Parma-Reggio tradition, so expect regional pasta and local produce to anchor most courses. The wine list runs to 2,500 selections and 10,000 bottles, with Italian and French labels — sommelier Mauro Rizzi is on hand to steer pairings.
Rubiera is a small town, so direct local alternatives at the same level don't exist. The nearest comparable Michelin-starred Emilian options require a short drive toward Modena, Reggio Emilia, or Parma. If you're flexible on location, Dal Pescatore in Canneto sull'Oglio operates at a higher star level but also at a significantly higher price. Osteria del Viandante is the most accessible single-star option in this specific corridor of Emilia-Romagna.
Tasting menu specifics are not documented in available venue data. Given that the kitchen is led by Jacopo Malpeli and holds one Michelin star, a tasting format is likely available — but verify current menu structure directly with the restaurant before booking around it. The savarin di riso is the one confirmed signature dish worth planning your order around regardless of format.
Location
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