Alessandro Panichi, Italian auteur chef

Sotto l'Arco, the fine-dining restaurant helmed by Alessandro Panichi, is the very definition of the "Aretusi style": a mix of experimentation, attention to detail, and love for fresh, seasonal prime ingredients.

Alessandro Panichi is an Italian chef who cooks.
Passion and experience are the hallmarks of his gourmet restaurant in Bologna, whether serving game or the finest cuts of beef, vegetarian dishes, seafood, freshwater fish, or his top-class baking.
Alessandro's career is a roster of big names and great successes, which culminated in his arrival at Villa Aretusi in 2011. He overhauled the menu in dramatic fashion, winning wide acclaim for his sophisticated but down-to-earth dishes, for his versatility, his eagerness to please, and for his sincere devotion to the profession.
Alessandro Panichi was born in Sarzana in 1978.

Riconoscimenti

Auteur chef Alessandro Panichi continues to expand and experiment with his contemporary cuisine, making judicious use of bitterness, acidity and fermentation.

"Due Cappelli" - L'Espresso Restaurant Guide

I nostri piatti signature

Tortellino né panna né brodo

Tortellini have been refined over the years to the point where it is almost obligatory to serve them in broth, though many love them in cream too. This dish offers both: a brothy, frothy, cream-topped tortellino, with an added burst of flavour.

Smoked Spaghetti

This spaghetti undergoes three different stages of smoking, each with its own essence. How it is served depends on the season: oysters and lemon in winter, stracciatella and mixed pepper in summer.

Cucumber, scampi and ground caper risotto

This dish is the result of a personal challenge that the Italian chef set for himself: to find a combination of ingredients that could make diners appreciate something that almost nobody likes: cucumber. Now it is one of the most popular dishes on the menu.

I love working with ingredients that I'm not so fond of: it forces me to learn and appreciate them. It's great to have fun in the kitchen, but we must never forget that people come here to eat, and satisfying them is our number one priority.

Chef Alessandro Panichi