"Form and substance" on newsstands the first monographic issue of Le Guide de L'Espresso

The first monographic issue of Le Guide de L’Espresso, edited by Emilio Carelli, is on newsstands from today, Friday, April 24. It is dedicated to design, but seen through an unusual perspective: that of food, wine, and lifestyle. Because in Italy beauty lives there too, in what we eat and drink. Since 1979, the Guides have been observing restaurants, wineries, and places of hospitality, and every year they look for the point where form meets substance, beauty merges with good.

The first monograph starts a cycle of quarterly issues: each issue will deal with a different theme with a cultural and original angle, with the same ability to go beyond the dish and the recipes, which has always distinguished the Guides. The next appointment will be in the summer, with a special issue dedicated to tourism. And on November 25, in Milan, Le Guide de L’Espresso will return to bring together the best of Italian food and wine for the annual awards evening.

This special opens with a portrait of Massimo Bottura – on the cover, illustration by Alice Iuri – that restores something rare: the Modenese chef of Osteria Francescana tells his story in his most reflective dimension. Bottura calls himself “a coach of ideas,” talks about cooking as a project and his notoriety as a challenge: “When people project expectations and dreams onto you, you have to be careful not to believe your own legend.” Staying authentic is a constant struggle. An interview with Carlo Cracco, now at Ristorante Viride in Rome and Galleria in Milan, brings to the forefront a vision of cooking that hinges on the team. Excellence? It’s a project shared with the brigade.

On the same pages, Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida recounts the role of chefs as ambassadors of Italian identity in the world, the agricultural design of sustainability, and food as an instrument of culture and politics.

The Special dedicates ample space to the new voices in the restaurant and wine industry: three revelation chefs, who exalt the territory of origin, prefer short supply chain and preserve an authentic relationship with the raw material. Then, the selection of three revelation wineries, chosen for the strength of a wine project capable of holding together roots and innovation. Included in the issue are recipes by Andrea Berton, a chef who even through design has managed to ennoble a dish as simple as broth. Space is also given to health, with an in-depth scientific study on the relationship between nutrition and metabolism by professor Antonio Moschetta.

The issue also hosts a reflection by Francesca Barra on the relationship between food and the screen: how the aesthetics of food-porn on social media have transformed the act of eating into performance, and how this spectacularization is producing an increasingly schizophrenic food culture. Completing the special are several insights into Fuorisalone, designer living, kitchen furniture, the advertising language of agrifood, and the hôtellerie sector.

The Special was previewed yesterday, Thursday, April 23, at the Rotonda della Besana in Milan, in the heart of Design Week 2026. The Rotonda Bistrò on via Besana also hosted an exhibition of Barilla’s historical packaging: the history of Italian graphic design told through an everyday object, from the blue background to Carboni’s oval logo to Mancini’s fork. A demonstration of how Italian beauty has always clothed everyday things.

Among the guests of the evening, presented by Fabiola Fiorentino and Valentina Romagnoli: Massimo Bottura, Carlo Cracco, as well as Alessandro Pipero and Guido Paternollo – who also signed the dishes being tasted, respectively the Carbonara made with Barilla tortiglioni and the champignon Irish coffee – and Luca Gardini, leading a wine masterclass with Coppo, Villa Franciacorta and Ronco dei Tassi.

“Form and Substance”: the first monographic issue of Le Guide de L’Espresso on newsstands from today, Friday, April 24, as a supplement to the weekly L’Espresso and then also available throughout the month of May in large-scale retail outlets, bookstores, airports and stations.