Aqua Crua

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Restaurant Born from Personal Necessity

Aqua Crua describes itself as "restaurant and hermitage, laboratory of creativity and monastery" — and that tension is entirely intentional. The project was born from the encounter between Francesco Dal Toso, an entrepreneur and farmer from Barbarano Vicentino, and chef Giuliano Baldessari, who had carried a childhood dream of running his own place. Together they converted an old building in the centre of Barbarano Vicentino into something that resists easy categorisation. Two years of planning, sacrifice, and collaboration went into its construction before the doors opened — with custom artist tableware by Pino Castagna, blown glass from Murano, and interiors shaped by a small army of local craftspeople.

The result earned Aqua Crua two forks from Gambero Rosso, a recognition that reflects the seriousness of what Baldessari is doing here, even when — especially when — it looks unconventional.

Giuliano Baldessari's World

The chef's own account of Aqua Crua is disarmingly honest. He describes the restaurant as a refuge: a place where he could work through personal difficulty by channelling everything into taste. "If in the world he feels inept, in taste the chef finds his centre," the restaurant's own words explain. That philosophy shapes every aspect of the experience.

The menu structure makes this concrete. Alongside the Carta Crua — an à la carte selection of more traditional dishes — there are three tasting menus called Iniziazione I, Iniziazione II and Iniziazione III. Guests are asked to begin with the first, allowing Baldessari to introduce his world gradually. Each subsequent menu pushes further, described as "a progression of transgression" designed to engage the senses in unfamiliar ways. The restaurant is candid that the third menu is an extreme experience — guests choose whether they are ready for it.

Beyond the Table

Aqua Crua's creative fine dining extends into cooking classes led by Baldessari himself — Saturday morning sessions in the restaurant kitchen, three hours preparing and tasting the dishes served daily. The restaurant also offers accommodation, private event hosting, and meal kits through its shop, making it a destination in the fuller sense.

The operation runs entirely on renewable energy — something the team frames not as a marketing point but as a straightforward responsibility.

Aqua Crua is not the place for a predictable evening out. It is, however, the place for one that stays with you.