Located in Mese, near Chiavenna, the Crotasc is an essential destination for those looking for the best local cuisine, as well as a must-do stopover for the beau monde who travel from Milan to the Engadine and fashionable St. Moritz.

The restaurant was founded in 1928 by Maria and Mamete Prevostini, as a refreshment point on the way to Switzerland serving bread and salami on the stone tables that we still see today near the terrace. It then became a trattoria and it was in the 1990s, thanks to Michela, the third generation of the family, that the transformation into a gourmand destination began.

For three generations our family has been devoted to the art of hospitality, making good wine, and the protection of the food and wine tradition of Valchiavenna.

(Michela Prevostini, owner)

The long history of the restaurant can be read in particular in its oldest room, the Cascina, which bears the date 1767 on the stone floor, still furnished as in the past with copper pots and ancient rural tools. While, it is at its heart, the “crotto”, to which the restaurant owes its original name, today used as a wine cellar.

The crotti, typical of Valchiavenna, are natural cavities in the mountain rocks where fresh air blows, the Sorèl, which, by keeping the temperature and humidity constant all year round, favors the production of excellent cured meats and cheeses.

The second room, also rich in history, housed the old “bar” of the trattoria that was still open until the 1980s, of which it retains the beautiful wooden boiserie and the many black and white vintage photos hung at the entrance. The original soul has been enriched by elegant design touches such as the Febo seats by Maxalto, the Saarinen table, the FontArte lamps and the Artemide chandelier in Murano glass which are completed by a very elegant mise en place.

The excellent cuisine is both linked to the origins of Crotasc and open to a contemporary exploration of taste: in addition to the brisaola (in Valchiavenna it is called with the “i”), the “bastardell“, the violino di capra, pizzoccheri, white gnocchetti and game, at Crotasc you can in fact taste various seasonal and daily proposals, at the root of which there is always a careful search for top-quality raw materials.

The wine list is that of a Nebbiolo (red grape variety typical of the area) enthusiast, offering, in particular, the excellent wines of the Memete Prevostivi winery, managed by Mamete and Paolo, Michela’s brothers, as well as other Valtellina producers with interesting digressions between national and foreign bubbles.

A place that truly deserves a visit; not only to experience the best of the traditions of these valleys but above all to enjoy the care with which, every day, everything is prepared to perfection, from the fireplace lit in winter, up to the summer tables wonderfully set up in the shade of the chestnut trees.

The Secret

In the ancient crotto, once used for storing food, the best vintages produced by Mamete Prevostini are now kept, an opportunity to visit it and taste the family “jewels”. While, for shopping, under the restaurant there is a shop where you can buy wines and other specialties.

Useful Info

Crotasc
Via Don Primo Lucchinetti 63
Mese, 23020 Sondrio
Tel. +39 0343 41003

Starters: 14 — 18 euro
First courses: 12 — 18 euro
Second courses: 18 — 28 euro