Andrea Aprea

The opening of the café-bistro and restaurant Andrea Aprea at the Fondazione Luigi Rovati marks the beginning of an entrepreneurial undertaking founded on the Neapolitan chef’s twenty years of professional growth, during which he has developed the highly personal approach to haute cuisine that won him a second Michelin Star in 2017.

 

The Andrea Aprea Restaurant 

Located on the Palazzo’s uppermost floor, the restaurant’s striking layout, designed by architect Flaviano Capriotti, opens onto the kitchen, while ceramic ashlars made of bucchero, the black clay that Etruscans used for their pottery, line the high walls on either side, ensuring a custom-designed continuity with the Museum of Art.

The panoramic window that runs along the far wall draws the gaze to the Indro Montanelli Park at the Porta Venezia gate, in addition to framing some of Milan’s most symbolic buildings, including the Museum of Natural History, the Planetarium designed by Piero Portaluppi and the Rasini Tower by the architects Ponti-Lancia, providing a view that stretches all the way to the contemporary architectural works of the city’s modern-day skyline.

The interior design gives a contemporary twist to traditional Milanese materials, establishing an ongoing dialogue with the works of art, in particular the site-specific Il vestito di un riflesso (Reflected Garment), created by Andrea Sala for the Palazzo’s tympanum.

 An interplay of tangy and tart, sweet and sorrow, provides the key ingredient for the dining experiences offered on the menu, along with the formal presentation of the dishes and their substance, all meant to spark delightful vibrations of the palate by mixing understatement and strength, no-nonsense flavours and sweet undercurrents, plus the occasional hint of spiciness, in a continuous give-and-take of similar and contrasting flavours.

 

The Café-Bistro

Adjoining the entry lobby, the Café-Bistro, designed by architect Flaviano Capriotti, looks out onto the Palazzo’s inner garden. Steeped in the tradition of the cosmopolitan, well-heeled coffee shops of Milan in the early 1900’s, it serves up all the vaunted delicacies of Italian cuisine, from breakfast to dinner, hosting patrons at all hours, whether for a brief espresso break, a cocktail at the bar or a pastry enjoyed at a table by the window. The imposing, semi-circular bar of bronze-plated brass sets the scene, drawing the gaze to the garden’s greenery. The watercolour on the wall, Entrare nel tempo, omaggio a L.R. (Entering Time, a Tribute to L.R.) by Mauro Ceolin, is the first work in a project developed by the Foundation, in collaboration with the Chef, to promote Italian art. In the future, it will be replaced by other visual interpretations.

 

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Andrea Aprea Restaurant

Tuesday to Saturday, 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm

Ph.+39 02 38273030

 

Andrea Aprea Café – Bistro

Tuesday-Friday 9.00-21.30, Saturday 9.30-21.30 and Sunday 9.30-20.00

Ph.+39 02 38273031

 

For information and reservations andreaaprea.com