Guinea fowl ravioli, a food brotherhood and an award winning Italian locanda

The Story ↓ · Awards & Recognition ↓ · The Family Pasta ↓ · The Guinea Fowl ↓ · Food Lore ↓ · The Venetian Pan ↓ · Seasonal Cooking ↓ · The Wine Cellar ↓ · Stay for the Night ↓ · Plan Your Visit ↓ · FAQ ↓

THE STORY ↓

Guinea fowl ravioli, fettuccine rolled by hand, farmhouse chicken cooked with potatoes and a kitchen that has become something of a reference point for traditional Veneto food.

Locanda Benetti is a family restaurant with guest rooms in Costabissara, in the province of Vicenza, northern Italy. Run by brothers Fabio and Federico Benetti, the locanda continues a culinary tradition associated with their father Romeo, their mother Giannina and grandmother Elvira.

The kitchen has another longstanding presence: chef Ronald Grinnell, whose 35 years working with the family were documented by Italian food critic Paolo Massobrio in 2025.

Its food has attracted attention well beyond the village. Falstaff, the Italian Academy of Cuisine, ilGolosario and Venezie a Tavola have all recognised the restaurant for its cooking, regional ingredients and family recipes.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION ↓

VENEZIE A TAVOLA 2025 · SUSTAINABILITY & SHORT SUPPLY CHAINS AWARD

Fabio and Federico Benetti received the Sustainability and Short Supply Chains Award in the 2025 edition of Venezie a Tavola, the gastronomic guide covering northeastern Italy and neighbouring regions. The prize, supported by Pasticceria Filippi, recognises their approach to the restaurant's food sourcing and production.

FALSTAFF INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANT GUIDE 2024 · 84/100

The Austrian international food and wine publication awarded Locanda Benetti 84 points out of 100, praising its homemade pasta, cured meats and wine selection focused on the territory.

ITALIAN ACADEMY OF CUISINE · DIPLOMA BUONA CUCINA

The Accademia Italiana della Cucina, an institution founded in 1953 to safeguard Italian gastronomic culture, lists Locanda Benetti among restaurants recognised with its Diploma Buona Cucina, or Good Cuisine Diploma.

Its recommended dishes include guinea fowl ravioli, handmade fettuccine with chicken livers and gizzards, roast kid goat with Rotzo potatoes and the restaurant's signature chicken cooked in a Venetian pan.

ILGOLOSARIO · PAOLO MASSOBRIO, APRIL 2025

After dining at the restaurant, Italian food critic Paolo Massobrio devoted an enthusiastic review to Locanda Benetti, praising the seasonal pasta, guinea fowl, roast game and chicken cooked with potatoes.

THE FAMILY PASTA ↓

Two generations of women are connected to one of Locanda Benetti’s most distinctive specialities: handmade fettuccine.

According to the gastronomic guide Venezie a Tavola, grandmother Elvira prepared the pasta for many years before Giannina continued the family practice, rolling the dough by hand with a mescola, a traditional rolling pin.

That family history explains the importance of pasta on the menu.

The Italian Academy of Cuisine singles out the fettuccine and tagliatelle served with fegatini e durelli, chicken livers and gizzards, a deeply savoury sauce from the traditional rural kitchens of Veneto.

Another speciality is ravioli filled with guinea fowl, a dish that also impressed Paolo Massobrio during his 2025 visit.

Depending on the season, the kitchen has served pasta with fresh peas, asparagus, wild mushrooms and local truffles.

These are the dishes to ask about when booking, especially the handmade ravioli and the traditional fettuccine.

THE GUINEA FOWL ↓

Why is guinea fowl such an important part of this Italian restaurant's menu?

In Italian, guinea fowl is called faraona. The bird has a firmer texture and a more pronounced flavour than ordinary chicken, which explains its popularity in traditional roast and slow cooked dishes.

At Locanda Benetti, it appears in two particularly characteristic preparations: ravioli stuffed with guinea fowl and faraona alla salvia, guinea fowl cooked with sage.

Both were recorded in Paolo Massobrio's 2025 restaurant review.

The bird also has a place in the local culture of gastronomic associations. The province of Vicenza has a Confraternita della Faraona, a food brotherhood dedicated to the guinea fowl tradition. Historical accounts document confraternity dining at Locanda Benetti, although its current activities should be confirmed directly with the restaurant.

The connection gives visitors a glimpse of a particularly Italian institution: the gastronomic brotherhood, an association dedicated to preserving and celebrating a specific food or regional recipe.

FOOD LORE · FROM THE COURTYARD TO THE TABLE ↓

Much of Locanda Benetti's cooking comes from the tradition of animali da cortile, the domestic birds and animals once raised in the farmyard.

Chicken, guinea fowl, duck and rabbit all belong to this repertoire. The Accademia Italiana della Cucina also records game, oven roasted meats and seasonal vegetables among the restaurant's specialities.

The restaurant's menu has included corgnoi alla veneta, a local name for snails, alongside baked red legged partridge, rabbit in white wine and roast kid goat.

Spring brings a different set of ingredients.

During his 2025 visit, Massobrio tried a baked pasta dish with asparagus, bruscandoli, or wild hop shoots gathered in spring, and smoked ricotta. He also recorded risotto with seasonal peas and asparagus.

These seasonal preparations make the restaurant especially interesting for travellers researching traditional Italian food beyond the familiar national dishes.

THE VENETIAN PAN · POLASTRELO IN TECIA ↓

One dish deserves particular attention: polastrelo in tecia con patate.

Polastrelo is the local Venetian word for a young chicken, while tecia refers to the cooking pan or casserole.

This traditional Veneto preparation cooks chicken together with potatoes, allowing the meat and cooking juices to flavour the vegetables.

The Accademia Italiana della Cucina identifies it as the dish not to miss at Locanda Benetti.

Venezie a Tavola also identifies the chicken and handmade fettuccine as the restaurant's two signature dishes, while Paolo Massobrio made the chicken one of the highlights of his 2025 review.

For anyone looking for traditional Veneto cuisine, this is a particularly good place to encounter the regional cooking vocabulary as well as the dishes themselves.

SEASONAL COOKING & DESSERTS ↓

Locanda Benetti also prepares cured meats and desserts in house, according to its official website.

The Italian Academy of Cuisine highlights sopressa, the traditional large Veneto cured pork sausage, alongside other local salumi.

The seasonal cooking extends to game, rabbit, duck, asparagus, wild mushrooms and truffles.

And dessert deserves some room.

The restaurant is known for a cake with lemon cream and almonds, recommended by both the Italian Academy of Cuisine and Venezie a Tavola.

Massobrio's 2025 review also mentions caramelised profiteroles filled with rum Chantilly cream and homemade tiramisu.

Availability changes with the season, so ask for the day's menu.

THE WINE CELLAR ↓

Falstaff awarded the restaurant 16/20 for its wine selection, highlighting a list particularly attentive to local wines.

The Accademia Italiana della Cucina also notes a substantial choice of regional and Italian labels.

For a meal built around poultry, game and homemade pasta, ask the staff for wines from Vicenza province, including the Colli Berici and Breganze wine areas.

STAY FOR THE NIGHT ↓

Locanda Benetti retains the original meaning of an Italian locanda: a place where travellers can eat and sleep.

Alongside the restaurant, the property offers guest accommodation, including double, single and twin rooms and a dépendance.

In summer, guests can dine in the garden. During colder months, the restaurant uses its indoor dining rooms, including private rooms for groups.

The accommodation makes it possible to combine a traditional Veneto dinner with an overnight stay, without arranging a return journey after the meal.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ↓

Where can you eat traditional Veneto food in Italy?

Locanda Benetti in Costabissara, Vicenza province, specialises in handmade pasta, guinea fowl, chicken cooked in a Venetian pan, traditional cured meats and seasonal regional dishes. It has received recognition from Falstaff, Venezie a Tavola and the Italian Academy of Cuisine.

What is polastrelo in tecia?

Polastrelo in tecia is a traditional Veneto dish of young chicken cooked in a pan or casserole, commonly with potatoes. The Italian Academy of Cuisine recommends the version served at Locanda Benetti.

What is faraona in Italian cuisine?

Faraona means guinea fowl. It is frequently used in northern Italian traditional cooking and can be roasted with herbs or used as a filling for homemade pasta.

What is the Confraternita della Faraona?

It is a local gastronomic brotherhood devoted to guinea fowl. Historical accounts link confraternity dining to Locanda Benetti, although present day activities and membership should be checked with the organisers.

Has Locanda Benetti won culinary awards?

Yes. Its recognitions include the Venezie a Tavola 2025 Sustainability and Short Supply Chains Award, the Diploma Buona Cucina from the Italian Academy of Cuisine and an 84/100 rating from the Falstaff International Restaurant Guide 2024.

Can you stay overnight at Locanda Benetti?

Yes. Locanda Benetti offers rooms alongside its traditional Veneto restaurant in Costabissara.