Rifugio Caltena - Transacqua

We went here because of the glowing reviews I read on a travel blog. We were nearly put off by the long winding road that goes on for quite a while to get there, but it was very much worth it! We don't speak Italian but did our best and there were a few of the younger staff who spoke English so we go on fine. food was excellent. Just wish we had gone earlier in the day when it was light to be able to see the surroundings.

We had 3 days in this area and tried the #1, 2 and 3-rated restaurants. this place is #1 and DEFINITELY stands apart from 2 and 3. First the location. WAY up on the mountains on a farm. Saying this place is hard to find is an understatement... it takes committment. especially since the tripadvisor map is wrong and the address given there (and on the restaurant 's own website even doesn 't work on google maps. it 's not hard to see why when you finally get there. i had a local (my hostess on my tripadvisor vacation rental lead me up there after we couldn 't find it the night before. first the location... get on via caltena like tripadvisor shows. there are even signs in town pointing the way. that part 's easy. what they don 't say is that it 's like 6 or 10km up the road... the only trick is to keep going and going and going as the road narrows, then narrows some more, then goes up and up steeper and more steep... if you are seeing lots of sheep and goats and fields, then you 're heading the right direction. then you pass another restaurant(! and 1km past that one is the rigugio caltena. it 's very large but popular with locals so make reservations. the family runs it. mamma (i think is in the kitchen and is perhaps the best italian chef i have ever tasted. best meal we had in italy and we were in all of the big cities (rome, venice, naples, florence, milan . the food is all local dishes and prepared farm fresh. the portions are ENOURMOUS, so i would suggest sharing mains or ordering just firsts. no english menus, so be prepared. the building itself (and location up on the mountain side in a flat field is an incredible dining experience in european style. the only thing to mention is that the service is not typical 'fine dining '/serve from the right with many forks type of service from experienced wait-staff. your food is served by the young family that owns the place with style and grace and a warm smile. the wine came without a wine list (they told me what they had in italian and i guessed... and was opened and placed on the table without the typical tasting and pouring 'ceremony '. i think this 'homey ' service is another part of the charm of the place, but everyone may not agree.

We went here because of the glowing reviews I read on a travel blog. We were nearly put off by the long winding road that goes on for quite a while to get there, but it was very much worth it! We don't speak Italian but did our best and there were a few of the younger staff who spoke English so we go on fine. food was excellent. Just wish we had gone earlier in the day when it was light to be able to see the surroundings.

Volevo approvare la scelta della proprietà per tenere a pezzi coloro che vogliono mangiare insieme con i loro animali!. è già tanto da accoglierli! perché un animale al tavolo è molto fastidioso ed è irricevibile per mille motivi per tenerlo nella sala da pranzo. Sono un vero amante degli animali, ed e' per questo che non gli lascerei mai fare quello che voglio. A casa mia può circolare liberamente fuori casa e nella sua casa ma non dentro casa mia. coloro che vogliono prendere gli animali anche a letto devono farlo in privato e non fingere che sia buono per le persone ordinarie. ha detto questo complimenti per i corsi squisiti e gentilezza! Forza!

Posizione eccezionale per questo rifugio un rifugio di pace e relax. Sarà un caso ma quando dico che siamo stati noi nonostante fosse agosto non abbiamo trovato la ressa che di solito è lì in tutti gli altri rifugi. Nonostante questo abbiamo mangiato molto bene, speso poco e il servizio era impeccabile. Personale molto gentile.