la badessa
In Turin, the Cuisine of the Monasteries
Even if you don't see availability on the website, try calling us at 353 462 96 68 or 011 83 59 40.
We might be able to find you a place!
A Love for Excellence
Humble Ingredients with Unique Value
Monastic orders, charterhouses, and monasteries number in the hundreds across Italy—perched on hillsides, nestled in the country's most beautiful corners, often clinging to evocative heights. Convents remain islands of serenity, where one can still escape the hectic pace of city life and where, for generations, the cult of simple food has been handed down—rooted in garden produce, farmyard animals, and the spontaneous fruits and herbs of the land.
Around monks and nuns grew the reputation of mystical, severe fasters. Yet, behind monastery walls, a deep love of good food flourished—based on seasonal, wholesome, and natural ingredients.
Monastic cuisine is the result of diverse regional influences, happy intuitions, and the reflection of wise habits and time-honored traditions.
At La Badessa Restaurant, since 1996, we have embraced this idea—"the cuisine of the monasteries"—gathering countless ancient and modern recipes, the fruit of passionate research and generous contributions. We reinterpret this unique culinary heritage, so it is never forgotten and continues to live through the dishes we serve each day—to surprise our guests with simplicity.
lo Chef
Ardit Grembi, giovanissimo inizia il suo percorso di studi e di esperienze in Italia e all'estero.
Enfant Prodige della ristorazione, dimostra le sue capacità fin da subito con creatività e sperimentazione, attingendo dalla cucina italiana e del suo paese.
Ardit Grembi ha lavorato in diversi ristoranti con chef stellati dimostrando capacità e passione per reinterpretare con personalità la tradizione.
our menus
Refined Dishes, the Result of Skillful Experimentation
Our Menus
The dishes we offer are the result of extensive research and the kind collaboration of many religious figures from all over Italy, who have shared with us recipes and advice passed down through generations—part of the authentic and time-honored tradition that is monastic cuisine.
our story
From the Campfire to the Royal Court
Maria Caterina Operti of Cervasca
The name "La Badessa" comes from a historical figure who lived in the 19th century: Maria Caterina Operti di Cervasca. Her extraordinary story came to light through the discovery of her diary and portrait, which led to a deeper investigation into her life and historical context.
She was born on June 22, 1801, in the ancient Marquisate of Saluzzo. Her father, the nobleman Guglielmo—related to Silvestro, Abbot of Hautecombe and a direct descendant of Marquis Ludovico II of Saluzzo—destined his youngest daughter, Maria Caterina, for monastic life to preserve the family wealth, being one of nine siblings.
At the age of eighteen, she took her vows at the Convent of Rifreddo, becoming Sister Costanza. Thanks to her noble birth, she was later transferred to the Monastery of the Holy Annunciation in Saluzzo, where she was expected to succeed the aging Mother Abbess. After the latter's death, Sister Costanza assumed the role of La Badessa.
Around 1831, during the Mazzinian uprisings, Mother Costanza met a soldier (whose name remains unknown), among those wounded and sheltered in the convent. A deep and forbidden love blossomed. Driven by passion, she abandoned the monastery to follow him, living for years as a camp cook, experiencing a life of taverns, battlefields, and bivouacs—until the soldier’s death from an epidemic.
She later moved to Turin, where she worked anonymously in the kitchens of the Savoy royal court, hiding her identity for many years. There, she gained notable experience and eventually became the personal cook of Queen Maria Theresa of Austria, wife of King Carlo Alberto of Sardinia.
After discovering her true origins, the Queen helped her return to monastic life—reclaiming her title and role as La Badessa, with the forgiveness and blessing of the Church.
In her later years, she became renowned for her gracious hospitality at the convent—welcoming nobles and high prelates seeking spiritual retreat and serving them dishes of exceptional refinement, born from a life lived between the simplicity of a campfire and the elegance of a royal kitchen.
la badessa
Piazza Carlo Emanuele II, 17
Turin
Tel 353 462 96 68 | 011 83 59 40
la badessa
The cuisine of the monasteries
Book a table!
Even if you don't see availability on the website, try calling us at 353 462 96 68 or 011 83 59 40.
We might be able to find you a place!