The castagnata: roast chestnuts done properly
Why chestnuts are a celebration in Ticino, how to choose them, score them and roast them in the pan with holes. And how we close the season on the last Sunday in October.
Open mid-April to end of October · closed Monday and Tuesday
Grotto ai Tre Lumi
Granite tables under the pergola, polenta from the copper pot and Merlot in the boccalino, kept cool in the cellar cut into the rock.
On a real restaurant’s website, photos of the place go here instead of the drawing.
On the table today
The daily menu changes every morning and is written on the board in the courtyard. To find out what there is today, give us a call.
Sample daily menu
Lunchtime, Wednesday to Saturday
- Minestrone with vegetables from the gardenor mixed salad
- Merlot risotto with luganighetta sausage
- Torta di pane, our bread cake
Full menu 29.– · main course only 21.–
Always on the menu
Three moments, three lights
The grotto changes with the hours of the day. For each moment we light one more lantern.
11:30 – 14:00
Moment 1: Lunch
The daily menu and the full menu. At lunchtime you can eat in half an hour too: just say so when you order.
14:00 – 18:00
Moment 2: Afternoon snack
Cold dishes: cured meats, formaggini, torta di pane. The boccalino comes up from the cellar, where it stays cool even in August.
18:30 – 22:00
Moment 3: Dinner
Polenta from the copper pot and the pergola lit up. The kitchen closes at 21:30. In the evening it is best to request a table.
The wine list
Ticino Merlot in the boccalino, as it has always been served, and a few bottles from small producers in the region. The labels change with the vintages: ask us what is in the cellar.
House wine, in the boccalino
- Merlot del Ticino DOC, red2 dl 7.– · 5 dl 16.– · 1 l 29.–
- Merlot bianco
white wine from Merlot grapes, fresh and dry
2 dl 7.– · 5 dl 17.–
We serve wine from age 16 and spirits from age 18.
The grotto through the seasons
A grotto is never the same: the light under the pergola changes, and so does what comes out of the kitchen. This is how the year goes at the Tre Lumi.
Mid-April to June
Spring
The doors open again
June to August
Summer
In the shade of the pergola
September and October
Autumn
Mushrooms, game and chestnuts
November to mid-April
Winter
The grotto rests
On a real restaurant’s website, photos of the grotto in the four seasons go here. In this example, drawings.
Latest articles
Recipes, wine and grotto customs, written by the people who work here. An article now and then, when there is something to tell.
The boccalino and the tazzine
Why wine at a grotto comes in a ceramic jug and is drunk from a bowl instead of a glass. A habit with a practical reason behind it.
Merlot at the table: what goes with what
From the house boccalino to the riserva, by way of Merlot bianco: which Merlot with which dish, what temperature to serve it at and why there is no need to overthink it.
A long table for your group
Birthdays, clubs, family lunches: up to 40 people under the pergola, up to 24 in the fireplace room. We put the menu together with you.
Evenings in the courtyard
The exact dates are on the board in the courtyard. To know them in advance, give us a call.
Every Friday, June to September
Polenta over the fire
Polenta stirred in the copper pot over a wood fire in the courtyard, with braised beef or cheese.
One Saturday a month, May to August
Music in the courtyard
Accordion and folk songs under the pergola. Free entry; dinner with a table request.
Last Sunday in October
End-of-season castagnata
Roast chestnuts, new wine and the last party of the season before we close for the winter.
All season
Long tables for groups
Birthdays, clubs, groups of up to 40 with a menu agreed in advance. Call us at least a week before.
When the lanterns are lit, we are open.
Wednesday to Sunday, mid-April to end of October. For evenings and for groups, it is best to request a table.