The adventure of Reale began in 2000, the year that Niko and Cristiana took over the trattoria that their father Antonio had opened in the village of Rivisondoli, on the premises of the historic family pastry shop. Neither sibling had any experience in the restaurant business, but in just a few years Reale caught the notice of customers and food critics by proposing a new type of cuisine, highly original and personal, earning its first Michelin star in 2007, the second in 2009. In 2011 the business moved to the present complex at Casadonna, where Reale found its most complete expression. The third star arrived soon thereafter, in 2013. Today the restaurant is the beating heart of the Niko Romito ‘system’: a laboratory where every day the chef and his crew conduct intensive research and give birth to new dishes.

The Reale crew is a small, young and close-knit group of 14 men and women between the ages of 20 and 30. All the heads of the various stations are involved by the chef in the execution and construction of the dishes. Some of them, like Claudio Bellavia, Dino Como and Antonio Angelini, have been with Niko for years and actively collaborate on the research and creation phases. The kitchen thus becomes a veritable gastronomic workshop, further enriched by its proximity to the culinary academy “Niko Romito Formazione” and the enthusiasm of the students there, who do part of their apprenticeship in the Reale kitchens.

The affinity between Niko and his sister is total. Cristiana leads the Reale service staff with the same rigor, the same elegance and the same passion that characterize her brother’s cooking, of which she has a profound and detailed knowledge. Between kitchen and dining room there are no barriers, but rather a seamless osmosis. Cristiana and sommelier Gianni Sinesi, who’s been at Reale since 2004, have succeeded in working with the young staff to create a style at once rigorous and warm, balances hospitality and precision to provide customers with an exciting, all-encompassing dining experience.