The Valpantena hills, halfway between Verona and the Lessini mountains and famous for their Amarone wines, are home to this restaurant, where chef Giacomo Sacchetto demonstrates his culinary skills in a delightful setting. La Cru is housed in a new building which forms part of the 15C Villa Balis Crema hotel (which now also offers splendid guestrooms). Here, the kitchen is the heart of this modern, open-plan dining room decorated in wood and burnished steel (some of which is recycled), while floor-to-ceiling windows offer relaxing views of the garden with its biodynamic vegetable plot, the source of many of the chef’s ingredients. Sacchetto and his young team create imaginative dishes which stand out for their precision and careful presentation with a light touch. In the villa itself, enjoy regional cuisine at Bottega & Cucina