This Town at the Italy-France Border Is a Culinary Treasure—How to Visit

Travel + Leisure

2 days ago

Italiano, francese, o inglese?' asked my server at Casa Buono, a restaurant in the Italian Riviera town of Ventimiglia. Casa Buono is about four miles from the French border, and this was my first brush with the area's standard select-your-language tableside greeting.
' Italiano! ' I proclaimed, triumphant that I had something to show for my 11 years in Italy. The server gestured toward the menu, explaining that all of its 13 dishes celebrated this multinational region. When Naples-born chef and owner Antonio Buono opened Casa Buono with his Ventimigliese wife, Valentina Florio, in 2020, he was no stranger to the area. He'd spent seven years cooking at the world-renowned Mirazur, in nearby Menton, France. From Left: Chef Enrico Marmo of Balzi Rossi, in Ventimiglia; red prawns and miso at Casa Buono.
From Left: Chiara Schiarat/Balzi Rossi; Valentina Florio/Ristorante Casa Buono
The first stop after France's A8 highway crosses into Italy, Ventimiglia straddles the Roya River as it spills into the Mediterranean. This part of Italy is quintessentially Ligurian: winding cobblestoned streets, Roman ruins, a picturesque shoreline. Given its position near the Côte d'Azur, it's surprising that Ventimiglia is not better known; most travelers simply drive over the border to have 'lunch in Italy.' But with two restaurants, including Casa Buono, having received Michelin stars in the past few years, and a new waterfront development with a five-star hotel on the horizon, I felt it was time for a closer look. From Left: Ventimiglia's covered market; lobster with tagliolini at Marco Polo 1960.
From Left: Andrei Antipov / Alamy Stock Photo; Jacopo Salvi/Marco Polo
French influences materialized throughout my meal at Casa Buono, most notably in a saffron-based preparation of nasello fish, similar in flavor to a bouillabaisse, and in scallop gnocchi with stewed cuttlefish in a buttery broccoli purée. It wasn't my only meal with a French twist: the next day, I had lunch at Marco Polo 1960 , a 65-year-old mainstay on Ventimiglia's waterfront that feels equal parts seaside shack and mountain chalet. After stints in Monaco and France alongside famed chefs like Alain Ducasse and Guy Savoy, Diego Pani returned home to lead the kitchen once run by his father and grandmother. Among his more avant-garde options are the multi-dish 'satellite' courses focused on one ingredient, like a langoustine presented three ways: roasted and tossed with greens; chopped into silky cubes of tartare; and served au gratin.
The following morning, I wandered to the Mercato Coperto, a covered market set across two city blocks that has been the heart of Ventimiglia since 1922. The aroma of fresh bread beckoned before I even went inside, so I let my nose lead me to the source: Christian La Fata, a bakery where I sampled sardenaira, a focaccia slathered with tomato sauce and topped with roasted garlic, capers, and anchovies. I heard sound bites of French and Italian as locals shopped for sea asparagus, spiny artichokes, and broccoli rabe. It was a lively scene: a woman working at U Sicilianu, a salumeria, grabbed a wedge of Parmigiano standing on its rind, then slipped behind a curtain of plump salami garlands to grate it. Live langoustines quivered as a fishmonger plucked them from the ice. A tray of blistered farinata (savory chickpea pancakes) caught my eye at Pizza al Taglio di Michelle & Piero. I treated myself to a piping-hot portion, which was finished with a fragrant dusting of black pepper.
Satiated for the time being, I walked over to the harbor, where Ventimiglia's metamorphosis began with the 2020 opening of the new marina, Cala del Forte. Looking out along the coast, I could see Monaco's modern high-rises peeking out from leafy Cape Martin, just a 15-minute catamaran ride away. Ringed by restaurants, boutiques, and yacht berths, the port had lots of coming soon signage. This is where Borgo del Forte, a five-star hotel, is scheduled to open in 2027. (Currently, most accommodations in Ventimiglia are fairly no-frills—travelers wanting to stay somewhere with a bit of polish usually base themselves 15 minutes' drive west in Menton or in Bordighera, 20 minutes southeast.)
Ventimiglia's revival isn't just limited to the harbor. That night, I hopped in a taxi that took me to the edge of town, almost to the French border, to eat at Balzi Rossi , which has a terrace suspended over the sea and shares the name of the beach below. The restaurant reopened for its 40th anniversary in 2022 after a two-year revamp, with Piedmontese chef Enrico Marmo at the helm; later that year it won a Michelin star.
My seat faced a long rectangular window that looked out into the inky night, with Menton's harbor twinkling in the distance. The sommelier rolled a beverage cart over to mix up the house negroni, made with local Arbory gin, a house-made beet-and-black-pepper kombucha, grapefruit zest, and a yellow marigold. The seven-course tasting menu was hyperlocal, starting with artichoke from the restaurant's garden stuffed with Taggiasca olives and pine nuts and topped with a wild-garlic oil and Parmigiano-egg-yolk sauce.
A few courses later, the beverage cart appeared again and the sommelier shook up a mocktail made from the essence of pea pods used in a previous dish. Dessert, a riff on the French tarte au citron, put an entire lemon to use: sauce, curd, and gelato created from the pith, juice, and peel, respectively, all packed into the fruit's hollowed-out shell and crowned with meringue.
'How was everything?' the manager asked at the end of my meal.
I sighed, placed my hands on my belly, and smiled—a gesture that transcends all languages.
A version of this story first appeared in the September 2025 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline 'It Takes Two ."