Ugo Alciati is the Italian Piedmontese chef widely recognised as one of the leading figures in modern Piedmontese gastronomy and the chef of the Michelin-starred Guido restaurant in the Italian Piedmont’s Langhe wine region. Born 1965 in Costigliole d’Asti, in the Italian Piedmont, Alciati is the son of Guido Alciati and Lidia Vanzino, who founded the original Guido restaurant in Costigliole d’Asti in 1961. The Alciati family operation has continued across more than six decades and three generations, with Ugo and his brother Andrea continuing the family tradition. Ugo currently leads the Guidoristorante operation alongside the broader Alciati family operation at the Tenuta di Fontanafredda in Serralunga d’Alba.
Alciati’s 2025-2026 work continues at Guidoristorante in the Italian Piedmont, with the November 2025 Michelin Guide Italy 2026 confirming continued Michelin recognition for the family operation. Ugo Alciati continues to supervise Il Ristorante di Guido da Costigliole at the Relais San Maurizio in Santo Stefano Belbo (with chef Fabio Sgrò leading the daily kitchen operations under his direction), while leading Guidoristorante directly. The 22-stars-for-16-restaurants Langhe area Michelin recognition in the November 2025 Italy Michelin Guide cement the Alciati family’s continued role in modern Piedmontese gastronomy.
TL;DR
- Italian Piedmontese chef born 1965 in Costigliole d’Asti, Italian Piedmont
- Son of Guido Alciati and Lidia Vanzino, founders of the original Guido restaurant 1961
- Continues family Guidoristorante operation at Tenuta di Fontanafredda
- Supervises Il Ristorante di Guido da Costigliole at Relais San Maurizio Santo Stefano Belbo
- Brother Andrea Alciati involved in broader family operation
- 2025-2026: Michelin recognition retained in November 2025 Italy Michelin Guide
Ugo Alciati key facts
| Born | 1965, Costigliole d’Asti, Italian Piedmont |
| Nationality | Italian (Piedmontese) |
| Parents | Guido Alciati and Lidia Vanzino (founders of original Guido restaurant) |
| Brother | Andrea Alciati (involved in family operation) |
| Current operation | Guidoristorante at Tenuta di Fontanafredda Serralunga d’Alba |
| Supervisory role | Il Ristorante di Guido da Costigliole at Relais San Maurizio Santo Stefano Belbo |
| 2025-2026 Michelin | Michelin recognition retained November 2025 Italy Michelin Guide |
Early life and training of Ugo Alciati
Ugo Alciati was born in 1965 in Costigliole d’Asti, in the Italian Piedmont. He grew up in his parents’ Guido restaurant, which Guido Alciati and Lidia Vanzino had founded in Costigliole d’Asti in 1961. The childhood in the family restaurant became the formative influence on his subsequent career, and he has continued the family tradition across more than three decades.
Through the late 1980s and 1990s Alciati trained alongside his parents in the family Guido restaurant, gaining classical Piedmontese and Italian fine-dining technique. The family training period gave him direct exposure to traditional Piedmontese cookery and the Langhe wine-region context, anchored in the regional Piedmontese ingredient palette and the family’s sustained Piedmontese fine-dining tradition.
In 1989 the Guido restaurant relocated from Costigliole d’Asti to Pollenzo, where it earned a Michelin star. Following the death of his father Guido Alciati in 2003, the family relocated the operation to the Tenuta di Fontanafredda in Serralunga d’Alba in 2007, where Ugo and his brother Andrea continued the family tradition under the Guidoristorante name. The Alciati family operation subsequently extended to the Relais San Maurizio in Santo Stefano Belbo with Il Ristorante di Guido da Costigliole.
Ugo Alciati career timeline
- 1961: Parents Guido Alciati and Lidia Vanzino found the original Guido restaurant in Costigliole d’Asti
- 1965: Born in Costigliole d’Asti, Italian Piedmont
- Late 1980s-1990s: Trains in family Guido restaurant alongside parents and brother Andrea
- 1989: Family relocates Guido restaurant to Pollenzo
- 1990s: Guido at Pollenzo earns Michelin star
- 2003: Father Guido Alciati passes away
- 2007: Family relocates operation to Tenuta di Fontanafredda Serralunga d’Alba as Guidoristorante
- 2010s: Ugo and Andrea continue family operation across multiple Piedmont locations
- 2015: Il Ristorante di Guido da Costigliole opens at Relais San Maurizio Santo Stefano Belbo
- 2017: Sustained Michelin recognition for Alciati family operation
- 2020-2022: Continued operations through Covid-19 pandemic
- 2024: Michelin recognition retained in Italy Michelin Guide 2024
- 19 November 2025 Michelin Gala: 22 stars across 16 Langhe restaurants in 2026 Italy Michelin Guide
- 2025: Michelin recognition retained in Italy Michelin Guide 2025
- 2026: Continues Guidoristorante and supervises Il Ristorante di Guido da Costigliole
Ugo Alciati signature style: traditional Piedmontese cookery and Langhe terroir
Alciati’s central argument, developed across more than three decades from his entry into the family Guido restaurant, is that traditional Piedmontese cookery anchored in the Langhe wine-region terroir and the family Alciati tradition can sustain a multi-generational Italian fine-dining operation. The Guidoristorante menu under Alciati continues the family Piedmontese tradition, anchored in regional Piedmontese ingredients, Barolo and Barbaresco wine pairings, and the Langhe seasonal palette.
The second defining element is the multi-generational Alciati family operation. The original 1961 Guido restaurant founded by Guido Alciati and Lidia Vanzino, the 1989 Pollenzo relocation, the 2007 Serralunga d’Alba relocation, and the broader Alciati family operation across the Tenuta di Fontanafredda and Relais San Maurizio together represent one of the more substantial multi-generational Piedmontese chef-family operations of the past six decades.
The third pillar is the supervisory role at Il Ristorante di Guido da Costigliole at the Relais San Maurizio in Santo Stefano Belbo, where chef Fabio Sgrò leads the daily kitchen operations under Alciati’s direction. Within the modern Italian Piedmontese chef cohort Alciati sits alongside peers including Enrico Crippa, Norbert Niederkofler and Moreno Cedroni as one of the defining figures in modern Italian gastronomy.
Notable Ugo Alciati work
Several Alciati family projects have become reference points in modern Piedmontese gastronomy. The original Guido restaurant in Costigliole d’Asti (1961-1989) was the founding family operation. Guido at Pollenzo (1989-2007) earned a Michelin star. Guidoristorante at the Tenuta di Fontanafredda in Serralunga d’Alba (since 2007) is the current family flagship operation. Il Ristorante di Guido da Costigliole at the Relais San Maurizio in Santo Stefano Belbo (since 2015, with chef Fabio Sgrò under Alciati’s direction) is the supervised operation. The November 2025 Michelin Gala 2026 Italy Michelin Guide recognition for the Langhe area cement the family’s continued recognition.
Ugo Alciati awards and recognition
- 1961: Parents found original Guido restaurant in Costigliole d’Asti
- 1989: Family relocates Guido to Pollenzo
- 1990s: Guido at Pollenzo earns Michelin star
- 2003: Father Guido Alciati passes away
- 2007: Family relocates to Tenuta di Fontanafredda Serralunga d’Alba as Guidoristorante
- 2015: Il Ristorante di Guido da Costigliole opens at Relais San Maurizio
- 2017: Sustained Michelin recognition
- 2024: Michelin recognition retained Italy Michelin Guide 2024
- 19 November 2025 Michelin Gala: Recognition for 2026 Italy Michelin Guide
- 2025: Michelin recognition retained Italy Michelin Guide 2025
- 2026: Continues Guidoristorante and supervises Il Ristorante di Guido da Costigliole
Ugo Alciati impact on modern Piedmontese gastronomy
Alciati’s most concrete contribution is the continuation of the multi-generational Alciati family Piedmontese fine-dining operation across more than six decades and three generations. The original 1961 Guido restaurant, the 1989 Pollenzo relocation, the 2007 Serralunga d’Alba transition, and the broader Alciati family operation together represent one of the more substantial multi-generational Piedmontese chef-family operations.
The second contribution is the multi-venue Alciati family operation at the Tenuta di Fontanafredda and the Relais San Maurizio. The Guidoristorante and Il Ristorante di Guido da Costigliole together extend the family’s Piedmontese fine-dining presence across multiple Langhe destinations.
The third contribution is the supervisory mentorship of chef Fabio Sgrò at Il Ristorante di Guido da Costigliole. Within the modern Italian Piedmontese chef cohort Alciati sits alongside peers including Enrico Crippa, Norbert Niederkofler and Moreno Cedroni as one of the defining figures in modern Italian gastronomy.
Ugo Alciati FAQ
Where is Guidoristorante now?
Guidoristorante is at the Tenuta di Fontanafredda in Serralunga d’Alba, in the Italian Piedmont’s Langhe wine region, since the 2007 family relocation. The restaurant continues the Alciati family Piedmontese fine-dining tradition that began with the original 1961 Guido restaurant in Costigliole d’Asti.
Who is Fabio Sgrò?
Fabio Sgrò is the chef leading the daily kitchen operations at Il Ristorante di Guido da Costigliole at the Relais San Maurizio in Santo Stefano Belbo, under the supervision of Ugo Alciati. The restaurant operates as part of the broader Alciati family Piedmontese chef-restaurateur portfolio across multiple Langhe locations.
How many generations of Alciati chefs are there?
Three generations and more than six decades. The original Guido restaurant was founded by Guido Alciati and Lidia Vanzino in 1961 in Costigliole d’Asti. Their sons Ugo and Andrea Alciati continued the family operation after their father’s death in 2003, relocating to the Tenuta di Fontanafredda in 2007.
What is the Tenuta di Fontanafredda?
The Tenuta di Fontanafredda is a historic Piedmontese wine-and-hospitality estate in Serralunga d’Alba, in the Italian Langhe wine region. The Alciati family relocated the Guidoristorante operation to the Tenuta in 2007, and the estate has anchored the family’s modern Piedmontese fine-dining operation since then.
Where is Costigliole d’Asti?
Costigliole d’Asti is in the Italian Piedmont’s Asti province, in the broader Langhe and Monferrato wine region. The town was the original location of Guido Alciati and Lidia Vanzino’s 1961 Guido restaurant, and the Alciati family Piedmontese fine-dining tradition began there before the subsequent relocations to Pollenzo and Serralunga d’Alba.
What is next for Ugo Alciati
Guidoristorante continues at the Tenuta di Fontanafredda in Serralunga d’Alba through 2026 with Ugo Alciati as chef. Il Ristorante di Guido da Costigliole at the Relais San Maurizio continues with chef Fabio Sgrò under his supervision. The Alciati family Piedmontese fine-dining tradition continues. The family Guidoristorante official website (guidoristorante.it) is the best source for current updates.
