Pizzoccheri and Polenta at Ristorante Nicolin
Tucked in the Maggianico district south of Lecco's centre, Ristorante Nicolin has been feeding locals proper Lombard mountain food since 1963 and holds a Michelin recognition for its precise, unfussy cooking. This is where you eat pizzoccheri — buckwheat pasta ribbons baked with Valtellina Casera cheese, savoy cabbage and butter — the way they are meant to taste.
The Dish You Came For
Pizzoccheri al forno at Nicolin arrives in a terracotta dish, the buckwheat pasta dark and nutty, the cheese melted into a golden crust, the cabbage tender but not collapsed. It is a dish that tastes of altitude and winter even on a warm September evening, and it pairs perfectly with a glass of Valtellina Superiore Sassella.
The menu changes with the seasons and the market. In autumn expect dishes built around porcini, game and chestnuts; in spring, lake fish from Como appear alongside the mountain staples. The kitchen is not interested in reinvention for its own sake — every dish is a careful version of something that already works.
The Room and the Ritual
The dining room is warmly lit, wood-panelled and unpretentious — the kind of place where families celebrate anniversaries in one corner and a solo diner with a book is equally welcome. Service is attentive without hovering, and the wine list leans heavily and wisely into Lombardy and Piedmont.
Finish with sciatt, the crispy buckwheat fritters filled with melted cheese that are Valtellina's best bar snack elevated to dessert-adjacent territory, or the house semifreddo if it's on the board.
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