Uliassi Loses Third Michelin Star as Michelin Guide Italia 2027 Names Three New Two-Star Restaurants

Ristorante Uliassi in Senigallia lost its third Michelin star in the 2027 Michelin Guide Italia, unveiled Nov. 12 in Piacenza. Pascucci al Porticciolo, Orma Roma and Al Gatto Verde rose to two stars, 24 restaurants gained a first star, and Italy now counts 382 starred restaurants.

Nov 12, 2026 - 11:12

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Ristorante Uliassi in Senigallia, the Adriatic seafood restaurant run by chef Mauro Uliassi and his sister Catia, has lost its third Michelin star in the 2027 edition of the Michelin Guide Italia, which was unveiled on Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Teatro Municipale in Piacenza. The restaurant now holds two stars, Forbes Italia and ANSA reported. The 72nd edition of the guide also promoted three restaurants to two stars and awarded one star to 24 new restaurants, bringing Italy's total to 382 starred restaurants, according to Il Sole 24 Ore.

No restaurant was newly elevated to three stars this year, Il Sole 24 Ore reported. With the exit of Uliassi and of Fabrizio Mellino's Quattro Passi in Nerano, near Naples, which left the selection after closing, the number of Italian three-star restaurants fell from 15 to 13, according to Forbes Italia and ANSA. Forbes Italia reported that Quattro Passi plans to reopen in Massa Lubrense in 2027.

A Demotion at the Top

Uliassi earned its first Michelin star in 1995, its second in 2008 and its third in 2018, according to Forbes Italia, which reported that the restaurant had spent eight years among Italy's three-star establishments. Forbes Italia also reported that no Italian restaurant had been demoted from three stars in the three previous editions of the guide, from 2024 to 2026. Gambero Rosso reported that Mauro and Catia Uliassi opened the restaurant in Senigallia on May 27, 1990.

In a social media post quoted by Corriere della Sera, Mauro Uliassi wrote that receiving the third star in 2018 had felt like winning a World Cup after more than 30 years in the profession. He said the restaurant was very sorry about the change but deeply respected the guide's judgment, and that the guide had played and continued to play an important role in its history. He thanked Massimo Bottura and other chefs for their gesture from the stage in Piacenza and congratulated the chef of Casa Rapisarda in Numana on its first star.

That gesture came at the end of the ceremony, when the chefs of the restaurants confirmed at three stars gathered on stage, according to Gambero Rosso. Bottura, speaking on behalf of his colleagues, called for a round of applause for Mauro and Catia Uliassi and the whole restaurant, the magazine reported. Gambero Rosso, which publishes its own restaurant guide, wrote that it did not share Michelin's decision and noted that its latest guide had confirmed Uliassi at Three Forks, its top rating.

Three New Two-Star Restaurants and 24 New Stars

The three restaurants promoted to two stars are Pascucci al Porticciolo in Fiumicino, led by chef Gianfranco Pascucci; Orma Roma in Rome, led by chef Roy Caceres; and Al Gatto Verde in Modena, led by chef Jessica Rosval, according to Il Sole 24 Ore and the news agency DIRE. The additions bring the number of Italian two-star restaurants to 40. In the guide's descriptions published by DIRE, Michelin cited Pascucci's seafood cooking and hospitality, the meeting of Colombian and Italian cultures in Caceres' cooking at Orma, and Rosval's fire-based cooking at Casa Maria Luigia.

The 24 new one-star restaurants are spread across 12 of Italy's 20 regions, Forbes Italia reported. Lazio recorded the most additions with five, followed by Piedmont, Lombardy and Sardinia with three each. New one-star restaurants listed by SiViaggia include Autem in Milan, Akoya in Turin, Nomos Ante and Quid in Rome and Charleston by Giovanni Solofra in Palermo. According to DIRE, nine of the 24 restaurants had already joined the selection during the year, and nine of the 24 chefs are 35 or younger.

"What particularly impressed our inspectors this year is the way in which Italia's culinary heritage continues to evolve without losing sight of its roots," Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, said in remarks published by Il Sole 24 Ore. "This dialogue between tradition and modernity is one of the great strengths of Italian gastronomy, and the 2027 selection reveals it in all its vitality and diversity."

Special Awards and the Wider Map

The guide's Opening of the Year award went to Juan Camilo Quintero of Quid in Rome, a restaurant that opened about six months ago, according to SiViaggia. The Michelin Young Chef Award went to the chef of N'uovo Vino e Cucina in Sutri, near Viterbo, which also received its first star, Forbes Italia and SiViaggia reported. Forbes Italia reported that the Service Award went to Stefania Lepore of a restaurant in Francavilla Angitola and the Sommelier Award to Andrea Bravaccini of Ristorante Del Lago in Bagno di Romagna.

Lombardy remains the region with the most starred restaurants, with 59, followed by Campania with 48 and Tuscany with 39, according to Forbes Italia. The province of Rome leads nationally with 28 starred restaurants. The full selection lists 1,988 restaurants, including 276 Bib Gourmand addresses, the magazine reported. Il Sole 24 Ore reported that Italy again ranks second only to France in the number of stars awarded.

The ceremony, presented by Barbara Pedrotti before more than 500 guests, closed a year marking 120 years of Michelin's presence in Italy, DIRE reported. It opened with a tribute to Nadia Santini, chef of the three-star Dal Pescatore, who died on Nov. 2 at age 72, and the audience gave her a standing ovation, according to SiViaggia. Tourism Minister Gianmarco Mazzi addressed the event by video, Sky TG24 reported.