Risotto with smoked sardines, perch, or coffee. A trademark dish reworked and mastered through infinite variations represents just one of the culinary highlights in the region.

De-structured into street food, countryside snacks, as an apericena, or a trademark plate. Lombardy’s gastronomy has been liberated from the binds of risotto and cotoletta.

Retracing tradition with a focus on the future, whether it’s through a revival of the local fresh fish or a rebirth of the garden among the urban rooftops, in the countryside, or in shared plots. The ideal Lombard menu with a contemporary spin starts with a glass of Franciacorta Brut, grana shavings, Mondeghili (Milanese meatballs), Valtellina’s Bresaola, and cold cuts from San Colombano.

Heading on to the first course, dig into a plate of pumpkin risotto perfectly paired with a Rosato from the Valtènesi. After a change of plates, savor the classic Cotoletta alla Milanese with a fresh pour of Sassella Valtellina Superiore. To finish things off, get your hands on the crunchy and crumbly Sbrisolona of Mantua or the always impeccable Panettone.

The latter is said to have been invented after recovering a recipe gone bad when a certain Toni, a scullion in the court of Ludovico il Moro, burned the cake for an important event. He improvised and mixed bread dough with remnants in the kitchen before cooking on high heat in the form of a dome. The result came to be known as the Pan d’Toni, or Toni’s bread, and just like that, it became a Christmas classic along with Cremona’s Torrone.

https://www.in-lombardia.it/en/visiting-lombardy/food-and-wine-tourism-lombardy