Ad Astra restaurant | Dieciottantanove Paola Edvige Fiori

Ad Astra restaurant is located in Santa Maria della Versa in the province of Pavia, Italy, a land of excellence for Pinot Noir terroir. Opened in December 2019, after the pandemic period with its closures and limitations, nowaday, this cozy and little gem restaurant is mentioned inside the MICHELIN Italy Guide 2023, as well as recently awarded during the edition of Golosaria Milano 2023, in the "best restaurants" category, curated by Leone Alato.
The interior and graphic design is signed by the architect Paola Edvige Fiori, creative director of the emerging brand Dieciottantanove, active in the field of interior design, art and photography, who already took part at the Fuorisalone 2023 in the 5Vie district.

The restaurant comes to life in the mind of chef Alessandro Folli and his wife Samantha, with the idea of ​​an intimate and charming space, with signature cuisine capable of combining highly selected local and fresh ingredients combined with originality and innovation.
The chef's motto is "simplicity with elegance", two adjectives that describe his approach both in the kitchen and in the dining room: a complete sensorial experience where the customer is welcomed and taken by the hand on a journey of surprising flavors and contrasts.

This is what the owners say: “We had a dream: to open our own restaurant and create an intimate place, a place where the customer is followed and gently lead into an immersive sensorial experience. When we developed this idea with the purchase of the property, we immediately thought of Paola, our architect and long-time friend. In her we saw the person capable of making our desires come true, first on paper and then in reality. She accompanied us in the choice of materials, fabrics, colors and furnishings, trying to optimize all the spaces. Furthermore, he designed some custom-made furniture giving that extra uniqueness. The restaurant is made up of three rooms and we wanted to dedicate a peculiar, warm and elegant character to each one thanks to different combinations of materials that mix and match perfectly with each other. Great feedback is also given to us by customers, who define it as a real little gem inside our beloved territory: the Oltrepò Pavese".

The restaurant is made up of three distinct rooms, each with its own personality, the entrance is characterized by the bar area. The counter and bottle rack is a totally custom made element, later assembled by by the Tiemme Mobili laboratory in Stradella (PV).
 “I thought of an operational space that could contains all the characteristics of the venue, elegant, clean and essential lines and maximum functionality. An area where the maitre and bartender Matteo Sedda prepares excellent cocktails to match the tasting menu."

The main colors of the first room are essentially those of brown and warm anthracite grey, used both for the floors and for the counter element.

The customization of the room is enhanced right from the entrance where the vertical partition  element is placed: a complex system of sliding partitions in Corten steel embellished with amber-coloured smoked glass, custom-made by the Negri laboratory of Santa Maria della Versa (PV).

The main will is  to differentiate the first room from the space adjacent to the entrance, reserved for reception, without however operating a total closure: "the vertical partition with its sliding elements allows for a continuous exchange and the openings can be modulated at will during service, the precious materials give this functional element a charming and fascinating character. From this point you have a view of the room but at the same time an intriguing play of reverberations given by the etched smoked glass; the warm tones of this element dialogue perfectly with the brick vault, whose geometries are emphasized by the lighting that runs along the entire perimeter of this first room".

The second room is conceived as a truly  intimate space, the elliptical table in white Carrara marble dominates an environment that is usually reserved for small groups or couples. The decorative panels of Dieciottantanove from the “Lunettes Marbles” series in turn recall the preciousness of the main element present in the environment.

Along the corridor that connects the second to the third and last room there is a custom-made element conceived as a technical compartment, as well as a wardrobe.
The first and second rooms have a direct view of the kitchen, a glimpse of the team at work.

The third and last room is characterized by the wall decoration created by the Olmo Blu studio, based in Cavenago d’Adda (Lodi, Italy) the colors of blue and white create a sophisticated and intriguing pattern. The velvet seats give a further warm and welcoming tone.

Dieciottantanove has drawn also the logo, with the letter “A” as a clear reference to the Chef and Owner first name letter and, at the same time, “A” as both AdAstra initial letters.

 “It was an honor for me to be able make Alessandro and Samantha whishes come true, it’s been so great realizing their dream; when they revealed to me their intention to open a new restaurant in Santa Maria della Versa and to involve me in the project I was absolutely enthusiastic; beyond the friendship we have for many years, it was surprising for me step by step to see the restaurant comes to life.
I tried to understand and interpret the needs and their taste, with an eye to both aesthetics and functionality. Alessandro is a young and talented chef, he was able to gain experience in the best cuisines in the world and finally decided to pay homage to our native territory, the Oltrepò, Samantha has class and good taste and from the union of our ideas something truly surprising has born, a small gem in the hills where cooking becomes emotion, experience, an unforgettable journey through flavours".

The "Ad Astra" restaurant project stands out for its custom made concept, all the elements that define the interior are made to measure: the counter in the reception/bar area with its bottle rack, the sliding partition wall and the wardrobe compartment.
The entirely handcrafted and tailor-made creations were conceived with the desire to give a unique and non-replicable touch, according to the particularity of the property, a game of contrasts was deliberately created between the current finishes and the pre-existing elements (brick vault and stone wall of the first room, and small brick vaults in the other two rooms).