Lake Como for a New Generation of Cool Kids The specter of the Hollywood star and the turquoise lake’s litany of notable visitors — it’s served as an oasis for aristocrats since Roman times; current villa owners include Richard Branson and Madonna — can make the place seem exclusive and stuffy for travelers more accustomed to food trucks than restaurants that require a jacket and tie for dinner. He also enlivened the lakeside dining scene: Il Sereno’s restaurant, Berton Al Lago, is helmed by Andrea Berton, a Milan-bred chef who has won five Michelin stars, including a star for Berton Al Lago. In this province of meat-rich pastas and salty fish, Mr. Caranchini, a Como native, has done something radical: created a five-course vegetarian tasting menu that includes things besides leaves and seeds. Cantinafrasca’s owner, Delfo Carnevali, who owned a larger restaurant for many years before he opened this wine shop and restaurant, shares something in common with America’s current business idols, a resolve to cater to the masses, sometimes scrappily. Caranchini said that We would like to do fine dining but a bit different — pop fine dining, While the lake district has never been big on night life (parties at private celebrity villas notwithstanding), the towns of Menaggio and Blevio in recent summers have hosted night markets rife with food stalls and live music to give the young and the restless something to do. It’s the first new lakeside property in decades, and Mr. Contreras spent four years convincing Lake Como’s historic preservation board to let him break ground.
