Risotto alla Certosina at Antica Osteria del Previ
On the south bank of the Ticino in the village of Borgo Ticino, Antica Osteria del Previ has been serving Pavia's most distinctive dish — risotto alla certosina — for decades. This is not a tourist trap; it is a Sunday-lunch institution for Pavese families who drive here specifically for this plate.
What Makes Certosina Risotto Unique
Risotto alla certosina is a medieval recipe from the Certosa di Pavia's monastic kitchen: Carnaroli rice cooked with freshwater crayfish (gamberi di fiume), frog legs, perch fillets, peas and a saffron-tinged broth. It sounds eccentric; it tastes like the Ticino valley in a bowl.
The dish is strictly a product of its geography — the Ticino river and the surrounding rice paddies of the Po plain supply every main ingredient. Del Previ sources its crayfish locally when stocks allow, making it one of the last places you'll taste the dish as it was originally conceived.
The Rest of the Menu and the Setting
Beyond the risotto, order the rane in guazzetto (frogs braised in white wine and herbs) or the filetto di persico (pan-fried perch) — both hyperlocal and rarely found elsewhere. The wine list leans on Oltrepò Pavese bottles, particularly the local Bonarda and Pinot Nero.
The restaurant sits in a low brick building with a garden terrace overlooking the Ticino. Book well ahead for Sunday lunch, when every table is taken by noon and the atmosphere is exactly the kind of noisy, generous Italian family meal that travel memories are made of.
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