Il Pagliaccio

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Personal Philosophy in the Heart of Rome

On Via dei Banchi Vecchi, in one of Rome's older quarters, Il Pagliaccio holds just ten tables — each promising what chef-owner Anthony Genovese calls a strictly personal, tailor-made experience. Wood, iron, and soft lighting create an atmosphere of deliberate contrasts: evolving styles held together by a shared respect for the environment and sustainability. At the centre of the room, the painting of a clown winks at guests as they settle in. The show, as the restaurant puts it, is about to begin.

The Chef Behind the Kitchen

Anthony Genovese was born in France to a Calabrian family. His formation took him through southern France, Tokyo, London, and Malaysia before he returned to Italy, earning his first Michelin star in Ravello and later a double star at Il Pagliaccio in Rome. His own words frame the approach simply: "My cooking photographs my life. It is my personal way of connecting with whoever sits at my table — not a customer, but a fellow traveller."

Alongside him, Chef de Cuisine Francesco Di Lorenzo brings a rigorous background spanning Austria, Florence, Ravello, and Scalea. Pastry Chef Orsetta Di Francesco works at the intersection of sweet and savoury, marine and vegetable, always in dialogue with Genovese's kitchen. The cellar is in the hands of Luca Belleggia — Wine Director and a certified sake sommelier, named Chevalier of the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne in 2019 — whose work earned Il Pagliaccio the Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence, a recognition that speaks directly to the depth and curation of the wine programme.

The Menus

The Italian seasonal cooking at Il Pagliaccio is structured around several distinct tasting paths. Circus — nine courses guided by the bond between emotion and aroma — is the flagship. Scintille offers a shorter route of surprise courses, while Intermezzo distils the experience into four essential stages.

For the most intimate setting, Parallels Experience operates as a restaurant within the restaurant: a private room, exclusive mise en place, dedicated service, and up to six guests following a ten-course journey that moves, in the restaurant's own words, "from Europe to the Mediterranean, to Asia and back." A beverage pairing — eight glasses chosen to accompany the progression — is available alongside it, reflecting the same attention to the full table that earned the cellar its international recognition.

The seasonal Italian cuisine here is never static. It shifts with Genovese's curiosity and with what the kitchen finds worth saying at any given moment — precise, personal, and always looking outward.