Inside the Boutique Hotel Bellavista, in the splendid natural setting of Brunate, is the restaurant of the same name. Its spaces, in keeping with the architecture of the building, are finely furnished in late 19th century Art Nouveau style. The wooden furniture in the main dining room, which can seat up to forty people, gives it a homely and informal atmosphere, but great attention is paid to detail. The main room leads to the veranda, which seats a further twenty people and serves as a breakfast room for hotel guests in the mornings. An outstanding feature of this room are the stained glass windows that run all around the perimeter, topped by coloured friezes that recall the architectural style of the façade, with its warm and intense tones. Every Friday from May to September, the charming veranda room is also the setting for aperitifs to the sound of live music.
During the summer season, hotel guests and restaurant guests can also enjoy a splendid panoramic terrace with an outside space that affords splendid views both of Como and the magnificence of the mountains that form a backdrop for social lunches, romantic dinners and private events. The cosy atmosphere and the charming turn-of-the-century setting make the restaurant and bar spaces perfect venues for ceremonies, corporate dinners and celebrations of any kind. Bellavista is particularly renowned for its New Year's Eve parties, which, thanks to its superb location, gives the best possible view of all the fireworks in the area, from Brianza to the centre of Como. The enchantment of the lake and mountain landscapes of Brunate have not gone unnoticed abroad, meaning that the Hotel and Restaurant Bellavista have featured in numerous international television programmes, acting as an ambassador for local tourism all around the world.
The family-run restaurant offers a cuisine that is at once homely and sophisticated, drawing on the culinary traditions of Lake Como and the nearby Valtellina, whose famous cheeses and, above all, the renowned cured beef bresaola, feature. Special mention should be made of the flavours from the lake landscape, including the toma cheese tortelli and the beef cheek braised in red wine, while desserts include panna cotta with forest fruits. There is no shortage of references to the woods and mountains on the menu, with numerous game dishes such as the much sought-after taglierini with duck ragout, reinterpreted in modern key. Innovation plays an important role in the cuisine of the Hotel and Restaurant Bellavista, which will in 2023 be led by Nicole Lunardi, a young and promising chef trained in renowned and sometimes starred restaurants in Italy and abroad. Traditional recipes, handed down from generation to generation are reworked by the young and daring staff in their own way.
The fine ingredients, the strong point of Bellavista's cuisine, come from a short supply chain which relies heavily on regional products and local expertise. The management of all aspects of the business is guided by sustainability, it having launched an awareness-raising project about three years ago that recovered an abandoned area of the garden and saw the creation of a botanical garden that partially supplies the restaurant's pantry. This 'Orto Botanico', flagship project of the Bellavista has been implemented with the support of European and regional funds, illustrating the commitment and seriousness with which it tackles the urgent issues of sustainability and respect for the environment.