Born in 1946 in the Novara area, Angelo Valazza co-founded Al Sorriso in Soriso with his wife, chef Luisa Marelli Valazza. Renowned for flawless service, encyclopaedic wine-and-cheese knowledge and warm elegance, Valazza has mentored generations of dining-room professionals.
In 1981 Angelo and Luisa bought a modest inn between Lake Orta and Mount Mottarone and transformed it into Al Sorriso. While Luisa crafted a refined Piedmontese cuisine, Angelo forged a dining style blending French rigour with Italian warmth: immaculate linens, a cheese trolley offering 40 local affinages, and a 20 000-bottle cellar he personally curates.
The Michelin Guide- with one star- hails Valazza as “the maître d’ par excellence, a model for every aspirant.”
Beyond the dining room, he oversees a ten-suite boutique hotel, lakeside garden greetings and eno-gastronomic tours that showcase Barolo, Ghemme and alpine DOP cheeses. His famed “Cheese List” is studied in Italian hospitality schools as a benchmark in terroir storytelling.
