GETAWAYS • Italy
For all its charm and beauty, Como isn’t an easy city in which to eat and drink well. There are plenty of tourist traps on the water, mountainside dining rooms with better views than kitchens, and piazza-seating locales with identical menus forgotten as soon as the receipt is printed. But there are, of course, exceptions. Like Vineria Vitani.
Nestled in the narrow Via Vitani in Como centro and open since 2022, the unassuming enoteca seems at first glance to be just a wine shop, of which there is no shortage (it’s Italy, after all). Closer inspection reveals not only the most evident feature — floor-to-ceiling bottles of wine — but also a carefully curated tasting menu and flights of (mostly Italian) wines. Davide De Ascentis is the oenophilic proprietor who assembled nearly 20,000 bottles from over 5,000 labels (one of the largest selections in Italy). The offerings are mostly Italian, with about 25 percent French and a smattering of other Old World producers.
De Ascentis (who also owns and manages Krudo in nearby Piazza Volta) and his team of four sommeliers not only sell by the bottle, helping even seasoned collectors find just the right vintage, but will happily arrange tastings to hone your palate or serve wines by the glass to enjoy with a friend. A large communal table as well as two-tops dot the interior, which is modern and comfortable, sleek but not slick. The food is high-quality salumeria fare — cinghiale carpaccio is a standout — with local and seasonal options. For the discerning or the discreet, a private tasting room can accommodate roughly 10 people for an individually crafted event. If you can do without a view of the lake and its goings-on, Vitani is the number one spot for wine and convivial conversation in Como. –Charlie Davidson
→ Vineria Vitani (Como, Italy) • Via Vitani 31 • Mon-Sat 11a-10p • Book.