Lucciola

Lucciola is a 20-seat Italian fine-dining restaurant located on the Upper West Side of New York City. Founded in 2017 by chef Michele Casadei Massari and wine director Alberto Ghezzi, the restaurant presents a compact, highly curated dining experience rooted in the culinary traditions of Emilia-Romagna. Its cooking draws on ingredients, preparations, and food memories associated with the region, including Modena balsamic vinegar, Parmigiano Reggiano, tortellini, and the Bolognese dessert known as “Latte in piedi,” a milk-based preparation. The restaurant’s name means “firefly” in Italian. Its naming and cultural identity have been associated with an appreciation of Italian artistic and regional heritage, including an homage to director Pupi Avati’s film Festa di laurea and inspiration connected with a Pasolini article. Rather than presenting Italian food as a broad generic category, Lucciola emphasizes the personal and regional perspective of its chef, translating familiar Emilia-Romagna references into creative fine-dining dishes. Wine is a central part of the restaurant’s proposition. Lucciola has been recognized by Wine Spectator for a cellar reported to contain approximately 1,450 bottles. It also operates a wine club through which guests can taste selections alongside participating wine producers, extending the restaurant beyond a conventional meal service into wine education and producer-led hospitality. Lucciola is described as the second restaurant associated with Michele Casadei Massari. His earlier project, Piccolo Cafe, was a bistro and coffee-chain concept that closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lucciola differs from that earlier format through its intimate scale, fine-dining positioning, regional Italian focus, and extensive wine program. The restaurant also maintains a blog featuring chef stories, news, and updates for readers and patrons. The restaurant’s recognition has included a Wine Spectator wine-program award and, according to the cited reference material, the Tre Forchette distinction from Gambero Rosso in 2026. Lucciola’s identity therefore combines a small-room New York restaurant format with a distinctly Italian culinary and cultural narrative, especially focused on the traditions of Bologna and Emilia-Romagna.

Lucciola was established in 2017 on New York City’s Upper West Side by chef Michele Casadei Massari and wine director Alberto Ghezzi. The restaurant is described as a 20-seat Italian fine-dining venue, giving it a deliberately intimate format rather than the scale of a conventional neighborhood trattoria or large hospitality group restaurant. Its culinary identity is closely linked to Emilia-Romagna, the northern Italian region associated with Bologna, Modena, Parmigiano Reggiano, tortellini, and rich pasta and dairy traditions. Lucciola’s menu interprets these traditions through a creative fine-dining approach. Examples associated with the restaurant include recipes using balsamic vinegar from Modena, dishes built around Parmigiano Reggiano and tortellini, and “Latte in piedi,” a milk-based dessert characteristic of Bologna. The emphasis is not simply on Italian ingredients, but on the chef’s regional and personal connection to the food of Emilia-Romagna. The name Lucciola means “firefly” in Italian. The restaurant’s cultural references extend beyond food. Its identity has been described as paying homage to filmmaker Pupi Avati’s Festa di laurea and as drawing inspiration from an article by Pier Paolo Pasolini. These references place the restaurant within a broader Italian cultural framework, linking its hospitality concept to cinema, literature, and regional memory. Lucciola is the second restaurant project associated with Casadei Massari. His first was Piccolo Cafe, a bistro and coffee-chain concept that later closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lucciola represents a more concentrated and specialized model: a small dining room, a chef-led menu, and an extensive wine program. The restaurant’s wine operation includes a cellar reported at approximately 1,450 bottles. It has received recognition from Wine Spectator and offers a wine club in which patrons can taste wines with the producers themselves. The restaurant also publishes a blog containing chef stories, news, and updates for diners and readers. According to the supplied reference material, Lucciola received the Tre Forchette distinction from Gambero Rosso in 2026. Overall, its development has centered on maintaining a highly personal Italian identity in New York, combining regional Emilia-Romagna cooking, an intimate service model, cultural storytelling, and wine-focused programming.

• 2026

  Lucciola receives Tre Forchette

  [1]Lucciola (restaurant)en.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reports that Gambero Rosso awards the restaurant its Tre Forchette distinction.

• 2017

  Lucciola is founded in New York City

  [1]Lucciola (restaurant)en.wikipedia.org

  Chef Michele Casadei Massari and wine director Alberto Ghezzi establish the 20-seat Italian fine-dining restaurant on the Upper West Side.

• Lucciola develops its regional Emilia-Romagna identity

  [1]Lucciola (restaurant)en.wikipedia.org

  The restaurant builds its menu around creative interpretations of Emilia-Romagna traditions, including Modena balsamic vinegar, Parmigiano Reggiano, tortellini, and Latte in piedi.

• Wine Spectator recognizes Lucciola’s wine program

  [1]Lucciola (restaurant)en.wikipedia.org

  The restaurant receives Wine Spectator recognition connected with its reported 1,450-bottle cellar.

An intimate, chef-led Italian fine-dining restaurant that combines Emilia-Romagna culinary traditions with creative interpretations and an unusually prominent wine program.

• Italian cuisine · 2017

  Emilia-Romagna fine-dining menu

  Lucciola’s principal offering is a creative Italian fine-dining menu shaped by the culinary traditions of Emilia-Romagna. The cooking draws on regional ingredients and dishes associated with Modena and Bologna, including balsamic vinegar, Parmigiano Reggiano, and tortellini, while presenting them in a refined restaurant setting.

• Dessert

  Latte in piedi

  Latte in piedi is a milk-based dessert associated with Bologna and cited as one of Lucciola’s regional Italian references. Its presence reflects the restaurant’s practice of bringing traditional Emilia-Romagna preparations into a contemporary fine-dining context.

• Wine hospitality

  Wine program and wine club

  Lucciola maintains an extensive Italian-focused wine offering supported by a cellar reported at approximately 1,450 bottles. Its wine club provides tasting opportunities involving wine producers, combining restaurant service with producer interaction and wine education.

1. 1Lucciola (restaurant)en.wikipedia.org