Chef Antonio Dipino leads the kitchen of La Caravella, the first Michelin-starred restaurant in Southern Italy, where the culinary heritage of the Amalfi Coast is expressed through respect for ingredients and a measured, contemporary sensibility.
Antonio Dipino is chef-patron of La Caravella in Amalfi, one of Italy’s most historic gastronomic institutions. Born and raised on the Amalfi Coast, he inherited a deep connection to cooking from his father Franco, who founded the restaurant in 1959, laying the foundations for a place that would become a landmark of Southern Italian fine dining.
La Caravella is recognised as the first restaurant in Southern Italy to have received a Michelin star, awarded in the 1960s and among the longest-standing distinctions in the country. Under Dipino’s guidance, the kitchen has developed a clear dialogue between identity and technique: ingredients from Campania’s land and sea are treated with contemporary precision while remaining firmly rooted in Mediterranean culture.
His cuisine privileges clarity of flavour, balance and seasonality. Local products—such as Amalfi lemons, fresh Tyrrhenian seafood and seasonal vegetables—are central to menus that aim to express place rather than stylistic display. The approach is restrained and coherent, built on continuity rather than rupture.
La Caravella is also a cultural space. Housed in a 12th-century building and enriched with artworks and ceramic collections, the restaurant offers a layered experience where history, territory and cuisine intersect. Dipino has played a key role in preserving this identity, ensuring that the restaurant remains a destination for international travellers and for those seeking the gastronomic memory of the Amalfi Coast.
At the heart of his vision is the belief that cuisine is a form of cultural heritage to be safeguarded and transmitted. Careful sourcing, respect for inherited techniques and disciplined execution define his work, reinforcing La Caravella’s place within the landscape of Italian fine dining.
