Ristorante Atman, set within the beautiful Tuscan province of Pistoia and no further than 50km from the region’s capital Florence, first opened its doors to diners in 2010. With head chef Igles Corelli at the helm the restaurant quickly won gastronomic acclaim, being awarded its Michelin star just two years later. By 2015, Ristorante Atman had outgrown its original home and consequently moved to its current location within the historic Villa Rospigliosi, still within picturesque Pistoia.

Inspired by Italy’s rich culinary history, Igles has established his own unique style of cooking at Ristorante Atman – Cucina Garibaldina. The chef draws upon the fantastic produce of the Italian countryside to create dishes such as the creatively entitled ‘All tomato’ – a risotto featuring three different varieties of Italian tomato – and ‘The woods’ – a main dish of wild boar (cinghiale), violina pumpkin purée and wild blueberries. The menu also features quirky reinventions of Italian culinary classics such as the traditional latte brulé dessert served with orange caramel sauce, as well as a sea salt and mint foam – or ‘Good, good...salty!’.

The restaurant’s menu takes influence from the chef’s past experiences and childhood memories. Indeed, the dessert 'Once upon a time, there was Trigabolo' was originally created by Igles during his time at Il Trigabolo in Emilia-Romagna – his first professional kitchen. Today the golden, caramelised beignets are a staple of Ristorante Atman’s menu and one of the chef’s most famous contributions to Italy’s modern food scene.

Menu options such as ‘I look for the things that I found’ and ‘Travel notes’ encapsulate the creative and poetic nature of the chef. Travel notes perfectly reflects the cultural cross-pollination of modern Italian cuisine, exemplified in dishes such as ceviche, curry and Kobe beef. To complement the menus, there is an extensive wine selection composed of over 800 wines sourced by expert sommelier Samuele Del Carlo from only the finest vineyards in Italy and France.

Dining at Ristorante Atman is a truly awe-inspiring experience – not just because of the Michelin-starred cuisine, but also the architecture of the restaurant itself. The villa in which the restaurant resides was originally commissioned by Pope Clemente IX in 1669 and was once the summer residence of the Rospigliosi family. The baroque style of the exterior edifice is in perfect harmony with the softly lit modern interior of the restaurant, which is filled with contemporary pieces of art and paintings hung on the walls and across the ceiling. Here, the restaurant’s modern Italian cuisine blends effortlessly with the surrounding history and unique location to take its diners on a unique culinary journey.