Verso Capitaneo – two brothers, two stars, one view of the Duomo

Verso Capitaneo occupies the second floor of Piazza del Duomo 21, reached by a lift from the square itself, where brothers Remo and Mario Capitaneo built a dining room around three long chef's tables facing an open kitchen. It holds Two MICHELIN Stars, awarded in November 2023 after only ten months of trading and confirmed again a year later. The brothers, born in the province of Foggia in 1982 and 1985, spent a decade at the side of three-MICHELIN-Starred Enrico Bartolini before striking out on their own, bringing with them a cooking style that is creative and Mediterranean in register, with the occasional, deliberate nod to their native Puglia and to Milan, the city that adopted them. The address itself carries history: these rooms once housed the wine bar Enoteca Duomo 21, and for a period served as Carlo Cracco's panettone store, before Verso's open kitchen and mirrored tables replaced the old enoteca shelves.

01The room and the setting

The entrance sits flush with Piazza del Duomo; a lift carries guests to the second floor, where the room opens around the fires at its centre. Three chef's tables look directly onto the pass, giving diners, as the restaurant puts it, an intimate view over the transformation of raw materials and the chance to watch new techniques unfold with no physical barrier between guest and kitchen.

The space seats a maximum of 26 across the chef's tables and a handful of conventional tables set back from the stoves, with a private room for up to 8. The open kitchen was designed by Icaro Milano, and the interiors, which layer fine materials against timber beams, were conceived by the design studio Andrea Langhi Design.

02The chefs

Remo, the more pragmatic of the two, and Mario, the extrovert, grew up in Puglia's Foggia province and moved to Milan while still very young to chase a career in the kitchen. Remo joined Andrea Berton's brigade at Trussardi alla Scala in 2006 before moving, in 2009, into Enrico Crippa's kitchen at Piazza Duomo in Alba; both brothers also passed through Carlo Cracco's stoves.

Insider tip

Reached by lift from Piazza Duomo; nearest metro stop is Duomo (M1/M3).

From 2010 the pair became close collaborators of Enrico Bartolini, staying at his side through 2019, the year they celebrated the return of three MICHELIN Stars to a Milan restaurant. Verso, opened on their own account on 7 January 2023, is less a victory lap than a fresh start, and one that paid off fast: MICHELIN Italia awarded the Two Stars that same year.

03The cooking

The kitchen works from seasonal, fiercely fresh produce, handled with techniques chosen to sharpen character and flavour rather than to show off. Fish, meat and vegetables are composed into dishes that carry memory and tradition while still looking forward, built around a four-handed rhythm between the two brothers at the pass.

The à la carte runs from starters such as wild quail with oyster, coconut and river chillies, through to mains like blue lobster with wagyu and peaches, or pigeon "Giusti" with Polignano carrots, walnuts and violet. A single longer tasting menu gathers signature plates, from veal sweetbread with sea urchin and coffee bearnaise to smoked chocolate with pumpkin and Savona chinotto.

04What to order

On the current menu, the spaghettoni with real king crab, marasciuoli and finger lime is the dish most often singled out, alongside scampi with cacciatora-style rabbit and "Purosale" caviar. The tasting menu, priced at €230 per guest for the whole table, can be extended with two further courses chosen by the chefs for €280 per guest.

05Wine and drinks

The cellar is built for a serious pairing: a Champagne list runs through Krug's Clos d'Ambonnay and Collection bottlings, Dom Pérignon P2, and grower names such as Jacques Selosse and Egly-Ouriet, backed by white Burgundy from Bâtard-Montrachet and Montrachet itself. A wine pairing is offered at €140 or €160, with the list curated by Valeria Biancini.

06The neighbourhood

Piazza del Duomo places Verso Capitaneo within a few steps of the Duomo di Milano and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and a five-minute walk from Teatro alla Scala. The nearest metro stop, Duomo, sits directly beneath the square, making the restaurant one of the few genuinely serious kitchens working within sight of Milan's most photographed address.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.