Resident chef of Ristorante Barbagianni in Colle di Val d’Elsa, Lorenzo Neri brings a style shaped by Tuscany, Sicily, France and the Mediterranean — the result of a path forged through Michelin-starred kitchens and different gastronomic landscapes.
Born in 1994 in Guardistallo (Pisa), Lorenzo Neri grew up in a family where food was a natural daily ritual. His passion began in childhood, watching his mother cook and learning from his Abruzzese grandmother, who embraced Tuscan traditions through a cuisine of garden vegetables and wild game. These early memories guided his choice of schooling: he enrolled in the Hospitality Institute in Rosignano and later completed his training at ALMA in Colorno, where he discovered the world of fine dining — a revelation that soon became his calling .
After his first experience in a Tuscan osteria, Neri moved to Sicily to join the kitchen of La Madia in Licata (two Michelin stars). There he became sous chef to Pino Cuttaia for five and a half years, an experience that profoundly shaped his technical and personal development, strengthening his discipline, sensitivity and understanding of territory-driven cuisine .
His journey continued in Veneto at Vecchia Malcesine (one Michelin star), where he mastered lake fish alongside Leandro Luppi. He then moved to the French Alps, joining the brigade of La Dame de Pic – Le 1920 in Megève (one Michelin star), under three-star chef Anne-Sophie Pic, refining clarity, elegance and aesthetic precision. The world of luxury hospitality next brought him to Le Cap in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat (one Michelin star), where he developed a borderland Mediterranean cuisine suspended between France and Italy .
Today, Neri is resident chef at Ristorante Barbagianni in Colle di Val d’Elsa, interpreting the culinary vision signed by Alessandro Rossi (one Michelin star, Gabbiano 3.0). Here he works with ingredients from the Chianti region, the Tuscan archipelago and the restaurant’s biodynamic garden perched on the medieval bastions. His cuisine is the synthesis of his travels: Sicily, freshwater lake traditions, the Tuscan hinterland and France coexist effortlessly, giving life to dishes that respect raw materials and showcase techniques refined over years in Europe’s top kitchens .
His style is defined by curiosity, precision and a profound respect for ingredients. It is a cuisine that reflects the land without being confined by it — thoughtful, layered, and rooted in a narrative that merges technique and territory. The Barbagianni provides the perfect stage for this young yet mature identity to flourish.
