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Italian Chef shares top ‘underrated restaurants’ in Italy

The master of casual but sophisticated Italian dining, Enrico Paradiso has a soft spot for some underrated Italian restaurants and fine ‘free wines’. 

Here, he shares his secret Italian eat and drink spots with International Traveller…

 

IT: What’s it like going back to Italy for a restaurateur. What do you see as trends or fresh ideas?

I don’t think Italy really runs by trends; it’s not the United States, it’s not England, it’s not Australia. History, tradition and places that are iconic are basically what going back to Italy’s all about.

I don’t go back to Italy to check out the latest restaurant or newest trend in food. I see London and New York as places where Johnny, or maybe Marco [Enrico’s brother Giovannni and business partner Marco Ambrosino], and I go back to see what the latest trend is, what the latest design is, or where the hottest restaurant area is. Italy is going back to feeling what food’s about.

That’s one thing that I find important when going back to Italy – it’s getting back in touch with being a restaurateur, because in Italy places are still run by the restaurant man. Front of house is still really important. And that, to us, is the true sense of being a restaurateur, which I think has been lost, been blurred and greyed over lately.

 

IT: So, if you were speaking to some mates and they were going to Italy and they asked: What are the restaurants that you think everyone has to have a meal at? What’s your pick?

There’s one that we go back to time and time again: Rovello 18, on Via Rovello Milano. To us it is the quintessential Italian restaurant. It is driven by a front of house husband and wife team, Gualtiero and Cinzia. Cinzia used to be in the kitchen but now the son Bikelle runs the kitchen. Gualtiero has the most infectious laugh and an amazing palate when it comes to wine.

You get food on a plate which has been derived from whatever you think Italy’s about; produce, gardens, flowers, smell, touch, feeling, character – all those five senses, are on that plate. Rovello is not fine dining, it’s Milan. Anybody who’s anybody in Milan will go to Rovello 18, for not only what I think is some of the best food, but also for the best risotto in all of Italy.

There’s a pizzeria, Cave Ox, in Sicily, in a town called Solicchiata, which is up on Mt Etna, probably about 400 or 500 metres from the summit. It is one of the best experiences you will have eating a pizza in your life, and it’s all vegetarian!

There is actually something quite romantic about going to this place. If you think about a place that looks like an old espresso bar, like something that you’d find in Leichhardt or Carlton, with kids at night running around. This is the beautiful juxtaposition of the whole thing. There’s a bubblegum machine up on the counter, and this guy, Danielle, has probably got the best natural wine cellar in all of Italy and serves what might just be the best pizza in Italy – it’s amazing. To me it’s in a setting which doesn’t belong, it just cuts down every elitist sommelier, wine writer, wine critic, food critic, to their knees.

There’s another one in Milan which I really love where Johnny and I always go. We’ve been going there since the early 1980s. It’s called Taverna Moriggi, which is a place where all old waiters will go to die.

If we turn 60 and 70 and we’re still waiters, and if things get really bad, that’s where we’re going to go. Taverna Moriggi has been around since the late 1800s and it’s not allowed to be touched because it comes under the National Trust of Milan.

It’s a great lunchtime place. At night there might be two full tables, some nights it might be completely full, but it’s a big lunchtime place for local Milanese. You might get lucky and there will be a couple of things on the menu, or you might be even luckier and he might have three or four things on the menu that day. There’s an old bar as you walk in to sit at and have a glass of wine, eat if you want to eat, don’t eat if you don’t want to eat.

They’ve got a great cheese and salumi list. I don’t think the furniture’s been touched for about 60 or 70 years, but it basically encapsulates what lunchtime in Milan is about. It’s not about trends, it’s not about what’s hot and what’s not, it’s not about models, it’s not about designers. It’s just about food from 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 years ago. It probably would’ve been exactly the same all those years ago too.

 

IT: And you’re a big fan of natural wine. What’s the attraction?

We wanted to be part of free [preservative and additive free] wine because we believed wine should be made the way it’s always been made. We truly believe that wine is not an elitist commodity; we believe wine can be great one year, and can be crap the following year. That’s the whole premise of free wine; it’s not engineered. People feel safe and so they have a vintage 2000 wine that they want to taste the same in 2007, which is fair enough but we don’t believe in that.

 

IT: So if you were to say to mates, Here are three free wines to experience, what would you suggest?

Sasha Radikon in Friuli right up near the Slovenian border. His philosophy is true to his wine, his generosity. The way he treats wine and people, I think is the same. He is amazingly welcoming and open to people, and he treats his wine the same way.

Arianna Occhipinti in Sicily is probably one of the first female national wine producers in Italy. Her passion, her humour, infectious laugh. She is so much fun and her wine is also… it’s feminine.

There’s another one, Josko Gravner, he’s also right up on the Slovenian border. He’d probably be on the complete opposite end as being very sophisticated. He probably is the godfather of natural wine up in Friuli and has a real sense of sophistication about his wine.

Frank Cornelissen’s Magma is one of our most favourite wines. Frank is a Belgian who moved to Sicily about 10 or so years ago and started making wine. He’s much more a clinician when it comes to wine, almost like a laboratory. His winery is amazingly, perfectly spotless, almost like a Ferrari workshop. It’s like drinking years of Mt Etna lava. If you can just imagine lava, barren, birds, land. And giving that sense of ripeness once the vegetation grows back, that’s what it’s like. It’s like freshness back in your mouth. That’s how I describe his wine.

 

IT: So how do I get to taste all these wines?

Just ring up. All these guys are like that, you give them a call and say, “I’m going to be here this afternoon or tomorrow morning". It’s no problem, though some are a little bit harder to catch than others.

Enrico and Giovanni Paradiso, with good mate Marco Ambrosino, run casual Italian eatery Fratelli Paradiso, and wine bar 10 William St, which features ‘free wine’ from Italy. Both are in Sydney.

Fratelli Paradiso: 2-16 Challis Ave, Potts Point, 02 9357 1744 fratelliparadiso.com
10 William St Wine Bar: 10 William St, Paddington, 02 9360 3310 10williamst.com.au

 

Enrico’s Picks

Restaurants

Rovello 18: Via Rovello 18, Milan +39 272 093 709

Cave Ox: Via National 159-95012, Castiglione di Sicilia, +39 942 986 171, caveox.it

Taverna Moriggi: via Moriggi 8, Milan, +39 280 582 007

‘Free’ Wines

Radikon Wines: loc. tre Buchi, 4, Gorizia, +39 327 458 7200, radikon.it

Occhipinti: Via dei Mille 55, 97019 Vittoria (RG), Sicily, +39 339 738 3580, agricolaocchipinti.it

Josko Gravner Wine: gravner.it

Frank Cornelissen: Via Nazionale, 281/299, 95012 Solicchiata, frankcornelissen.it

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What the European heatwave means for your summer travel plans

    Rachael Thompson Rachael Thompson
    Continue
    Temperatures are soaring this summer, breaking records across Europe and the UK. 

    Euro summer is a feeling like no other. But when a heatwave hits? The dream trip quickly turns into a sweaty mess. Extreme heat is sweeping Europe and the UK this week, with record-high temperatures impacting travel plans across the continent.

    And while Australian summers are typically hotter in absolute temperature, many European cities aren’t equipped for high temperatures, resulting in unbearable weather.

    Why is it so hot in Europe?

    Signs of a hot summer loomed in May, when the mercury hit unprecedented spring highs. Now, extreme high temperature warning alerts have been issued in countries such as Spain, Italy, France, England, the Netherlands and Germany.

    France saw its hottest day on record on Wednesday, with an average temperature of 30°C across the day and night. This surpasses the average temperature for June, which is 15°C to 25°C. Dozens of people have died, including 40 from drowning.

    In Spain, 212 deaths have been linked to the heatwave.

    The UK recorded its hottest June day ever on Wednesday with temperatures soaring to 36.1°C. In an article published by the Met Office – the UK’s national meteorological service – Professor Stephen Belcher CBE, Met Office Chief Scientist, shared his concerns about June’s heat. “To see temperatures like this in the UK in June is sobering. Events like this bring home the implications of climate change, with very high temperatures and humidity bringing significant health implications from heat stress, as well as impacts to a range of sectors such as transport, energy and water supply,” he said.

    Heatwaves are becoming increasingly common in Europe and the UK, neither of which is prepared for such extremes. The World Meteorological Organization reported that in 2025, at least 95% of Europe experienced above-average annual temperatures and that the continent was heating up twice as fast as the global average.

    How travel is impacted

    A pharmacy sign displaying 40 degrees Celcius
    A pharmacy broadcasting local weather data. (Credit: Getty/Dragoncello)

    During a heatwave, power grids, water systems and transport networks can be affected, resulting in disrupted itineraries for travellers. In France, power outages have left thousands without electricity and early closures have been implemented for two of Paris’s biggest attractions, the Eiffel Tower (early afternoon rather than late at night) and the Louvre (two hours early). Eurostar cancelled its London to Paris and Paris to London services from the 22nd to the 25th, and major UK rail companies have been advising travellers to avoid using trains where possible, or to travel during early hours.

    If a heatwave is predicted, being flexible with your itinerary and having fully refundable/changeable tickets is key, as extreme heat can force the cancellation of outdoor activities, impact rail and flight services and change the opening hours of sites and eateries.

    Why does summer in Europe often feel hotter than summer in Australia?

    people swimming in the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris
    People swimming in the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris to cool off. (Credit: Rachael Thompson)

    With some of the highest UV levels in the world, Australians are no strangers to the heat, adapting well to intense weather. But our infrastructure is largely equipped to withstand soaring temperatures with climate-responsive passive design, refrigerated air conditioning or evaporative coolers, as well as swimming spots aplenty.

    Buildings in Northern and Western Europe and the UK, however, are constructed to retain heat and handle frosty winters. The lack of universal air conditioning means it generally feels hotter even though the temperature on your app might not look it. During a heatwave, it can feel like you’re in a sauna as cities act like heat traps.

    How to stay cool and prepare for another heatwave

    Relief is expected across Europe and the UK later this week, but more heatwaves are still possible in the coming months. Summer heat typically peaks in July and August.

    Public transport often doesn’t have air conditioning, and buses in particular can be swelteringly hot. If you’re heading outside or your accommodation has no air conditioning, it’s worth buying a spray bottle and a handheld fan from a pharmacy or tourist stand. Check ahead of time if restaurants and cafes have air conditioning and make a booking in advance. The highest temperatures typically hit between 3pm and 6pm, so aim to head outdoors outside of these hours.

    Rising temperatures invite travellers to enter a more intentional era of seeing the world. Now more than ever is the time to embrace lower-impact “coolcations” and off-season getaways.