Set amongst the olive trees, near the village dear to the Poet, "La Montanella" offers a great view of the Euganean Hills and the plains.
The restaurant has been run by the Borin family for half a century, a trusted (more and more) landmark in the area.
A place where experience and passion for the most genuine produce of the territory, blend in a food–oriented research, but also oriented to the recovery of old recipes [...] taken from the "I Ristoranti d’Italia" guide.
The idea of opening a restaurant was by my father Aldo and my mother Elsa, who in 1952 left the rural life that gave them little economic satisfaction, to believe in the development of leisure and tourism.
As the work in the restaurant grew more and more, we tried to meet the requirements of demanding customers in terms of services and gastronomy creating, today, a venue certainly at the forefront in terms of structure, organization and objectives. The panoramic position on Arquà Petrarca and the Euganean Hills and the Po valley is enviable, the climate is temperate and dryer than in the lowlands.
The name "La Montanella" comes from "mont", that in Venetian language means slope, so "Montanella" would mean little slope. My passion comes from my family, which has always been very interested in the Paduan and Italian cuisine. The passion was cultivated and fueled by mutual friends restaurateurs, but mostly by books, magazines, newspapers, etc... Essential to know history, traditions, the culture of our land. We have a well–stocked library with copies of ancient culinary texts from the fourteenth century onwards.
The restaurant is frequented mainly by people from Padua, but also from Rovigo, Ferrara, Vicenza, Venice, Verona; there is a substantial number of German–speaking tourists, which are about 10%. Our guest is especially a demanding customer in terms of food, wine and service. I am no chef, my job is welcoming, with me there are: Gabriele Gallo, Verza Gianni, my son Giuseppe and my daughter Francesca. My wife Biancarosa is chef and runs the kitchen with Enzo Cestari and with Mauro Mozzato. My daughter–in–law Elisa, now, in the kitchen, is in charge of pastry and bread. I have been a professional sommelier since 1974, a member of the Arte In Tavola Association, that brings together professionals and restaurateurs, member of the Chaîne des Rtisseurs, president of the Ristoratori Padovani Association.
