A decade after the birth of its plant-based bistro, ALTATTO continues its evolutionary journey with the launch of its restaurant at 39 Via Bonaventura Zumbini. Founded by Cinzia De Lauri and Sara Nicolosi, the project represents the natural evolution of a journey that has transformed plant-based cuisine into a cultural and narrative language. The new space is the result of a collaboration with Nicola Lorini, artist and designer, and founder of The Present Tense. Together with the founding chefs and architect Cristina Raimondi, Lorini has shaped an environment where gastronomy and architecture converse organically. Every detail – from materials to lighting, from surfaces to proportions – contributes to a story consistent with ALTATTO’s identity: conscious, artisanal cuisine attuned to the rhythms of time.
The restaurant is built on a dual tension: the formal rigour of early Modernism and the tactile quality of the rural world. Felt, stone, raw iron, and carved wood create a vocabulary that bridges tradition and contemporaneity. Among its standout features, the green serpentine marble sink from Valmalenco, symbolising purification and hospitality, takes pride of place at the centre of the dining room as a gesture of welcome.
The kitchen, located at the heart of the space and visible from every table, becomes both a narrative and symbolic focal point. Here, the act of cooking transforms into a language: every movement in the kitchen is part of the story, every dish an act of connection. The pass, crafted from plaster and plant fibres in collaboration with artist Sara Ravelli, nods to ALTATTO’s long-standing ethos of self-production and seasonal awareness.
Collaborations with designers and artisans abound: Maddalena Selvini has created felt panels and porcelain objects made from soapstone offcuts, while Work In Design has curated chairs and furnishings that evoke post-war Milanese Rationalism. Each element contributes to a measured, essential yet welcoming atmosphere.
The new culinary offering unfolds along two paths: the historic four-course menu and a broader experience composed of ten small tasting plates, inviting a direct dialogue between kitchen and guest. Alongside these are the signature dishes and timeless classics, expressions of continuity and exploration. The new ALTATTO is not just a restaurant, but a place where food becomes a cultural gesture and architecture a means to amplify its meaning. A project that does not dwell on nostalgia but looks to the present as a space to inhabit mindfully, a possible elsewhere, crafted with hands, mind, and material.
Photo credits: Laura Spinelli, Federico Floriani
