Antica Corona Reale
Antica Corona Reale is a historic fine-dining restaurant in Cervere, in the Cuneo province of Piedmont, with roots tracing back to 1815. Held by the Vivalda family for generations, it is one of Italy’s most celebrated regional restaurants, earning two Michelin stars for its devotion to classic Piedmontese cuisine and local seasonal ingredients.
At a glance
- Type
- Fine dining restaurant
- Period
- Founded 1815; family-run for over two centuries
- Style
- Classic Piedmontese cuisine with seasonal, local ingredients
- Location
- Cervere, Province of Cuneo, Piedmont, Italy
- Coordinates
- 44.6351° N, 7.7885° E
- Recognition
- Two Michelin stars
Overview
Antica Corona Reale stands in the small agricultural town of Cervere, a few kilometres south of Fossano in the Cuneo plain. The restaurant has been guided by the Vivalda family for many generations and is regarded as a benchmark for authentic Piedmontese gastronomy. Chef Gian Piero Vivalda has steered the kitchen since the late twentieth century, earning and maintaining two Michelin stars through careful sourcing and disciplined technique.
History
The establishment opened in 1815 in a historic building in the centre of Cervere, initially operating as a simple inn serving travellers on the road between Turin and the Ligurian coast. The Vivalda family took ownership in the twentieth century and progressively elevated the kitchen, retaining the deep ties to Langhe and Cuneo valley produce that define the cuisine. Successive generations refined the cellar, building one of Piedmont’s most comprehensive collections of Barolo, Barbaresco and Nebbiolo-based wines. The restaurant’s dining rooms preserve much of their original nineteenth-century character, with vaulted ceilings and stone walls that frame a warm, unhurried atmosphere.
What you see
The interior is housed across several interconnected rooms in a period building, with exposed brick arches and warm lighting that recall a traditional Piedmontese osteria elevated to a formal dining setting. The menu centres on emblematic regional dishes: tajarin al tartufo bianco, vitello tonnato, gran bollito misto, and finanziera prepared from offal according to nineteenth-century recipes. A glass-enclosed cellar visible from the main dining room holds thousands of bottles, reinforcing the restaurant’s identity as a destination for regional wine as much as food.
Cultural significance
Antica Corona Reale is one of the oldest continuously operating restaurants in Piedmont and represents the living tradition of cucina piemontese at its most rigorous. Its fidelity to local ingredients — Alba truffles, Fassona beef, Cuneo grey snails — and its rejection of fashionable shortcuts make it a reference point for understanding the culinary heritage of the western Po plain. The restaurant has been listed in the Italian Ministry of Culture’s register of historic businesses.
Practical information
- Address
- Via Fossano 13, 12040 Cervere CN, Italy
- Opening hours
- Check official website for current hours and seasonal closures
- Reservations
- Essential; book well in advance especially during truffle season (October–November)
- Website
- anticacoronareale.com
Getting there
Cervere is located on the SS 231 road between Fossano and Bra, approximately 60 km south of Turin. By car, exit the A6 motorway at Marene and follow signs towards Cervere (15 min). The nearest train station is Fossano on the Turin–Savona line; from there a taxi or local bus covers the remaining 10 km. The restaurant has its own parking area.