Cavallino in Maranello and Olio in Origgio: among the new prestigious Stars of the red guide there are the Ferrari restaurant and the one that is part of a large space dedicated to motors. Here’s what they look like and what they eat
Surprise within the surprise: among the 22 newly starred restaurants in the Michelin Italy Guide 2026 – presented on Wednesday 19 November at the Teatro Regio in Parma – there are two closely linked to the engines that have earned one star each. The first is Cavallino, which is located in front of the Ferrari factories in Maranello. Completely renovated in 2021, by virtue of the collaboration between Massimo Bottura and the house of Cavallino, it was born in 1950 and despite its fame – it was essentially Enzo Ferrari’s culinary office – it had never won the Michelin Star and in the last decades, before the renovation, it had constantly dropped in level. The second is Olio, in Origgio (a town in the province of Varese, but just 15 minutes from Northern Milan) which is included within Spazio The Box, a continuously developing structure of around 40 thousand square meters where art, design, motors and cuisine coexist with each other in different expressions but always in harmony. Starting from the presence of vintage cars in the large restaurant room. The sign, moreover, has an apt name. “It is reminiscent of olive oil, therefore the cuisine and the centuries-old olive trees that embellish the garden. But also engine oil and oil paints, used in painting which is one of the family passions” explains Paolo Milini who with his father Luigi ‘invented’ the place in 2017 to open the restaurant in 2020. Now we will tell you about the two places that ended up on the cover.
the Ferrari world
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Thanks to its strategic position, a pleasant environment and obviously its cuisine, Cavallino welcomes a truly transversal audience: the Ferrari world (from drivers to managers), F1 figures (technicians, designers, sponsors), a sea of tourists, foreigners first and foremost, who come from all over the world to visit Maranello, local families, gourmets curious to discover the “Botturian” vision of Emilian recipes as well as new dishes. The Crème Caramel with Parmigiano Reggiano, the Tortellini del Tortellante, the Cotechino alla Rossini and our Zuppa Inglese fully belong in the first category. All with the author’s touch. And then the new Supercars menu with dishes that bear the name of a Ferrari model which have evidently brought luck to the restaurant. It is no coincidence that the path was born from the creativity of chefs Riccardo Forapani (from Modena DOC and for 13 years in the brigade of Bottura’s Osteria Francescana) and Virginia Cattaneo (from Brianza, for four years at Cavallino) in synergy with the Ferrari Style Centre.
THE BOTTURIAN IDENTITY
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Just to clarify, the two appetizers are called 288 Gto and F40: respectively a grilled oyster with tomato and cherry jelly, mozzarella foam, basil and a sweetbread with a spicy base, plums, black garlic, lemon mustard. A recipe was created for the F50 where the Gragnano linguine and the grilled lobster and its bisque are enhanced by a parsley and lemon gel sauce. Another first course is Enzo: sensational eel tortellini with dashi, Parmigiano Reggiano and Grasparossa grapes. Rich ingredients as a tribute to LaFerrari: sturgeon, pepper, meat stock, cuttlefish ink and Oscietra Calvisius caviar. Then the inevitable pigeon with spring onion, rhubarb, rose and spruce to celebrate the F80. To close, the Speedform dessert which, like a Ferrari still covered by a cloth before its debut, plays with indefinite shapes. For the record, it is made with zabaglione, Villa Manodori Balsamic Vinegar and morello cherries. Massimo Bottura, the most famous Italian chef in the world and ‘sick’ of motors, is obviously delighted with the recognition. “The history of Ferrari and the Cavallino are part of my Modenese identity and being able to work together is an enormous privilege” he underlined.
a great collection
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Let’s move on to Olio: there were two entire floors above the restaurant to occupy: one part of the collection ended up that the Milini family only started creating in 2014 and includes the most prestigious brands in Italian and foreign motoring. In total there are around a hundred cars: the iconic Lancias of the 1950s (including the legendary armored 2000 from 1971 that took Enrico Berlinguer around Italy for decades), the GTs and Spiders of the Dolce Vita of the 1960s, the famous English cars made famous by the cinema, the very sporty Alfa Romeos, the complete series of Mercedes SLs. The modern era is also represented with the 8-cylinder Ferraris of the 90s and 2000s and some collectible cars from the most famous German brands. Among the rarities, a Siata 1100 TV Vignale from 1954 stands out. Some of these jewels are visible, as mentioned, in the restaurant rooms: in Italy it is almost normal for there to be works of art in starred or otherwise prestigious places. But enjoying a risotto or tasting a drink a few meters from a Lancia Flavia from the 1960s or a Jaguar XK from the 1950s is decidedly unique. Furthermore, in the evocative rooms of Olio there is no shortage of important artistic expressions: there are automotive-themed paintings (also by Francesco Salvi, comedian and painter) as well as small and monumental sculptures. There was one floor left to fill: in November 2022, it became the headquarters of Milano Classiche, a company that deals with the purchase and sale of historic cars. To complete the hub, there is Valvole in Testa, a workshop dedicated to carrying out complete restorations.
INSPIRED COCKTAILS
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We return to the restaurant where executive chef Andrea Marinelli can help himself to the products of the large greenhouses that house aromatic plants and spices. Also from the ‘food and motors’ series, in addition to hosting an enormous collection of succulents, the greenhouses are full of cars with a strong predilection for Fiats from the first half of the twentieth century. Next door there is a lush medieval-style vegetable garden: a labyrinth of raised stone tubs grown with seasonal vegetables and fruits. If that wasn’t enough, the olive trees arrived from Puglia to create a small homemade production. The Olio menu is strongly focused on fish, with very readable and enjoyable preparations, which arise from a nice choice of molluscs, crustaceans and fish. Many proposals of raw meat, first and second courses of Italian inspiration and no automotive references in the names of the dishes, unlike those of the house cocktails which are called Astura, F40, Elise, Fraschini, Jolly Ghia. “This star is not a point of arrival, if anything a new starting point” comments Andrea Marinelli, the only chef in Italy who finds himself in front of a dashboard while plating.
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