We said we’d make the most of our last Saturday in Italy and we certainly did! When we booked the trip we put ourselves on the wait list for Osteria Francescana, an amazing looking restaurant by Massimo Battura that’s won all kinds of awards and is considered the number two restaurant in the world (we have heard maybe number one). It has three Michelin stars. We’ve seen it featured on a bunch of shows and the chef is an amazing artist with food. He also does a lot of good for the community and gives the impression of being a pretty cool guy. So on Friday when we called to see if we could get a place off the wait list we were shocked when they said yes to two schmoes like us.

We spent the whole day walking around and only had a salad so we would be good and hungry for the experience. The restaurant was right by our hotel so we walked over, it’s very unassuming from the outside. Inside it’s serious, all grey and dim lighting and fairly austere. The staff are all outfitted by Gucci. (Sara had to ask because their shirt collars had these big embroidered bees on them.)

Everyone who worked at the restaurant was welcoming and extremely professional. Also there didn’t seem to be any women waitresses (Note, there were many women chefs)? We both ordered the 12-course (Tutto) tasting menu with wine pairing and they adjusted it to replace all the meat dishes.

The whole experience was something to remember. All the food was outstanding and the wine pairing (which also included some non wine items like a fermented honey liquor and Yuzo) was interesting and unique.

Hands down the best part of the evening happened at the very end after we paid our bill and started walking home. Around the corner from the main entrance the kitchen door was propped open onto the street. Sara stopped to peak in and take a photo when one of the staff stepped out with the trash. They started chatting in Italian and he invited us in to take a photo with the whole crew! Unfortunately the head chef wasn’t there but still, it felt incredibly special to be welcomed into the prestigious kitchen so warmly. We will cherish this photo and the memory of truly a great night in the twilight of what has been a life changing trip for us. Another interesting note, as you can see in the photo people come from all over the world to train in one of the best kitchens.  This photo likely contains the next hottest chefs we will all read about in the upcoming years, we hope.

We tried to take photos of all of the dishes but some had bites taken out and some we forgot.  Below are those photos:

Today, we moved on to Verona.