Gardone, named after one of Korbinian Kohler’s childhood memories, embodies the longing for Italy – for juicy pizza, the scent of freshly grated Parmesan and a good country wine.

Every time the pizzaiolo at Gardone takes a fragrant pizza out of his high-end oven, he holds a piece of Italian cultural heritage on his wooden peel. Since 2017, the “art of the Neapolitan pizzaiolo” has been listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. Two million people supported the petition at the time – one of many signs that Italian cuisine is the most beloved in the world.

Pizza from Naples, as it is also served at Gardone, is a science in itself. In Rome, for example, the dough is thin and baked crisp in the wood-fired oven. Neapolitans, by contrast, love their dough thick and juicy, forming a perfect symbiosis with the topping of tomato sugo, mozzarella, basil and Parmesan. Naples is considered the birthplace of the fast-food classic, which emerged there in the 18th century as food for the poor before conquering the whole world.

The most famous pizza is considered to be the Margherita, named by the Neapolitan pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito after the Italian Queen Margherita of Savoy. On a particularly hot summer’s day in 1889, legend has it, he baked it in her honour at her summer palace. For Her Majesty, he topped the originally proletarian flatbread in the colours of the tricolour – with tomato red, mozzarella white and basil green. Don Raffaele was elevated to royal purveyor for his creation, and his pizza began its triumphal march around the world.

“La vera pizza napoletana” serves as the model for all pizzas at Gardone, where the imposing stone oven, built after the Neapolitan example, forms the heart of the restaurant. Fired with local beechwood, it reaches temperatures of over 400 degrees. And even though the pizza recipe is ancient, the oven itself is high-end 21st century: it is controlled by touchscreen, and inside, a rotating plate ensures that the dough receives heat evenly at all times.

The great success of Gardone has inspired the kitchen, which has long since expanded its repertoire to include numerous Italian classics. First and foremost, of course, homemade fresh pasta – from spaghettini alla verdura with the summery vegetable freshness of aubergine, courgette and date tomatoes to luxurious fettuccine gamberi with organic prawns, date tomatoes and Amalfi lemon. Risotto Gorgonzola with pear, walnut and bitter leaves also tastes just like in Italy – cooked perfectly all’onda.

Meat dishes from Italy’s regions round off the offering, such as Roman saltimbocca, a veal escalope with sage whose name literally means “jump into the mouth”. Or Milanese ossobuco, a veal shank braised with meat and bone. Only when meat and vegetables cook gently and with plenty of time does that incomparably aromatic flavour emerge, rounded off by the melting fat of the marrowbone.

Does one really need any further proof that Italian cuisine is the best in the world?

CHARLOTTE MILLER