For the two generations since the Aga Khan built it, the Cervo hotel has been a mainstay for Costa Smeralda’s well-heeled set who adore its colonial Spanish revival vibe and, especially, in-house restaurant, Il Pescatore.
The latter – designed by Jacques Couelle as the port’s first fine dining restaurant – has just emerged from long-delayed face-lift courtesy of London-based studio Blacksheep, alongside a new moniker, Quattropasi al Pescatore.
The brief may have been the classically vague ‘contemporary luxury’, but the result is a lighthearted, yet slick, take on a rustic fisherman’s adobe where a roof of roughly hewn bleached logs and planks rests on sinuous white washed walls, terracotta tiles, raw stone surfaces, and rattan pendant lamps. Very cleverly, Blacksheep diffuses the harshness of the exterior light into the space through recessed wall-wells.
The kitchen, meanwhile, is admirably served by executive chef Antonio Mellino who serves a warmly satisfying Sardinian menu dominated by seafood accented by fresh herbs, bottarga and saffron. Two concessions are made to carnivores by way of veal and lamp chops, but for the rest, Tonelli disarms with amberjack tartar, lobster spaghetti, and pasta stuffed with fish and scampi.
ADDRESS
Cervo Hotel
Costa Smeralda Resort
Porto Cervo
Costa Smeralda
-
Modern masters: the ultimate guide to Keith HaringKeith Haring's bold visual identity brought visibility to the marginalised
-
Discover a hidden culinary gem in MelbourneTucked away in a central Melbourne park, wunderkind chef Hugh Allen’s first solo restaurant, Yiaga, takes diners on a journey of discovery
-
Nina Christen is the designer behind fashion’s favourite – and most playful – shoesShe’s created viral shoes for Loewe and Dior. Now, the Swiss designer is striking out with her own label, Christen
-
The most anticipated hotel openings of 2026From landmark restorations to remote retreats, these are the hotel debuts shaping the year ahead
-
How designer Hugo Toro turned Orient Express’ first hotel into a sleeper hitThe Orient Express pulls into Rome, paying homage to the golden age of travel in its first hotel, just footsteps from the Pantheon
-
The Wallpaper* team’s travel highlights of the yearA year of travel distilled. Discover the destinations that inspired our editors on and off assignment
-
Heading to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games? Don’t miss these stops along the wayAs the anticipated winter games draw near, Wallpaper’s Milan editor, Laura May Todd, shares where to stay, eat, drink and relax in the Dolomites
-
Experience the cradle of the Renaissance in a new light at Florence’s W hotelFlorence’s palazzi, basilicas and baptistries groan with history. But the city’s new W hotel poses an alternative perspective – one that is distinctly modern
-
Fall in love with the Dolomites at this serene retreatIn South Tyrol, the refreshed Forestis hotel raises the bar for high-altitude calm
-
Langosteria Montenapoleone is the new multi-level dining destination to know in MilanCrowning the top three floors of the recently opened Palazzo Fendi, the Langosteria group unveils its most ambitious venture yet
-
Check in at Aman Rosa Alpina, a modern Alpine cocoonSan Cassiano’s historic hotel has been reborn as a pared-back Aman refuge in the heart of the Dolomites
