Being one of Italy’s largest regions, Lombardy offers an incredible amount of things to see, do and taste. Stretching right up to the Swiss Alps in the north and the famous Po Valley to the south, it’s also home to the great lakes of Italy, most famously Lake Garda, Lake Como and Lake Maggiore. Being a northern region, the food of Lombardy isn’t all tomatoes, basil and other Mediterranean stalwarts; instead, dishes here are rich, filling and luxurious, with meat and dairy at their core.
Lombardy’s capital Milan is known the world over for being a hub of fashion and design (not to mention the Duomo), while smaller destinations such as Bergamo and Brescia boast stunning architectural sights stepped in history. The combination of lakeside living, mountain ranges and rolling hills means this landlocked region has some incredible landscapes – and the lake’s beaches are just as popular as those on the coast.
Whether you’re looking to visit Lombardy and wondering what you’ll eat when you get there or just fancy trying your hand at some of the region’s traditional recipes, everything you need to become an expert in Lombardy is below.
Lombardy has incredible lakes and stunning hilltop towns, but for a thriving hub of urban living Milan is where it all happens. Some of the region's most famous dishes come from within these city walls – cook them at home today.
With such fantastic raw ingredients at their disposal, it's no wonder the artisans of Lombardy produce some of Italy's most famous foods. Discover the cheeses, salumi and sparkling wines native to the area.
Lombardians seem to love nothing more than filling pasta dough with a cacophony of ingredients and flavours. Here are three of the most iconic.
Rustic risottos and pastas made from buckwheat makes regular appearances on Lombardy's restaurant menus. These recipes prove why they're so popular.
Roberto and Enrico Cerea were brought up by parents who devoted their lives to culinary excellence. After training in some of the world’s best kitchens and culinary schools, the brothers returned to the fold, earning the family restaurant its third Michelin star for their signature seafood dishes executed with modern technique.
As the proud owner of three Michelin stars since 1996, Nadia Santini is a chef at the very top of her game, combining the wow-factor of classical French cooking with the rustic, warming, welcoming flavours of Italy.
Giancarlo Morelli’s trailblazing gastronomy emphasises the very Italian tenets of simplicity, balance and great ingredients to create dishes that are far more than the sum of their parts.
One of Milan's most decorated chefs, Andrea Berton is a role model for cooks across Italy thanks to his beautiful food, dedication to good ingredients and fierce work ethic. He has worked at some of the country's best restaurants and opened several of his own.
After discovering a passion for the macrobiotic diet, Sauro Ricci is now the head chef at Europe’s first ever Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant. Combining fine dining with ingredients that are good for body and soul means thousands travel from all over Italy to taste his unique cuisine.
Becoming one of the most famous chefs in Milan (and, after starring in her own television show, all of Italy) isn't easy, but Viviana Varese remains at the top of her game by sourcing the very best produce available. With her business partner Sandra Ciciriello, she has turned Alice Ristorante into the city's most popular venue.
