There is a common thread running through the food culture of these UNESCO-listed hills. Its colour shifts with the seasons: the bright green of spring, the intense yellow of summer, the orange hues of autumn and the whites of winter.

Just as each season has its own identity, the farming practice of cultivating a kitchen garden has been passed down without interruption for generations.
In recent years, this habit has moved beyond the domestic sphere – where it remains very much alive – and into the world of restaurants. Today kitchen gardens are found at every level, from agriturismi to refined dining, not as a passing trend but as a way of creating a more personal cuisine. Chefs value these ingredients not only by growing them, but by letting them shape the dishes they serve.

FROM THE KITCHEN GARDEN TO THE MENU: A MORE PERSONAL CUISINE

Not all places – or soils – are the same. Every area has its own characteristics, and it is generally unrealistic for a restaurant, however well organised, to meet all its vegetable needs from a single garden rather than relying on trusted suppliers. Yet there is something compelling about being able to tell this story to diners, including those who are used to seeing vegetables neatly packaged in supermarkets and may never have considered their natural growing cycle or the season in which they thrive outdoors.

For visitors, sensing a direct connection with the land adds real value beyond the narrative. Citing the garden on the menu goes beyond ideas of quality or sustainability: it connects the hands that cultivate the greens to the colours that arrive on the plate.

SALIS, BETWEEN CARTIZZE AND WILD HERBS

Every leaf, every root, every mouthful reflects its season, the weather of those days and the exposure of a hillside. This is especially true among the vineyards, as at Salis, a restaurant and wine bar in Saccol, Valdobbiadene, in the heart of the Cartizze area.
Chiara Barisan, chef, owner and driving force behind this panoramic restaurant since 2013, describes her relationship with the garden as it comes back to life in spring: “Winter is a quieter time and we rely on our suppliers and nearby farms, but we mainly use our own produce in the warmer months. The menu changes often, depending on what’s available at that exact moment – early peas, for example. Outside we also have nettles, which we use for risotto, but I especially enjoy working with herbs like borage and buon enrico, a flavoursome wild spinach. We also use yarrow to make an infusion for dessert”.

Salis Ristorante Enoteca
Via Strada di Saccol 52, Valdobbiadene (TV)
+39 0423 900 561

LA DOLZA, THE VEGETABLE GARDEN PANTRY

Follina is a charming town famous for its 12th-century Cistercian abbey. Just outside the centre, in Valmareno at the foot of imposing Castelbrando, lies La Dolza, a historic farmstead that has evolved into an agriturismo with rooms and a restaurant.
Owner Enrico Curto explains the philosophy: “As an agriturismo, we try to produce as much as possible of what we use, so we have a garden cultivated according to the seasons: potatoes, cabbages, tomatoes, aubergines, salads. The best period is clearly between spring and summer”. One distinctive feature is the educational park with its garden-orchard representing the entire valley, divided into five themed areas, one of which is rural. Curto adds: “There’s also an educational aspect for the children who come here for green holidays – they get to grow produce themselves, mixing flowers with vegetables and fruit”.
On the menu, potato gnocchi with locally grown wild herbs are among the most popular dishes.

Agriturismo La Dolza
Via La Dolza 7, Valmareno di Follina (TV)
+39 0438 85 940 – 335 53 04 304

OSTERIA ALLA TERRAZZA, A KITCHEN GARDEN PLANTED WITH SYNERGY

Osteria alla Terrazza in San Pietro di Barbozza has recently reopened under new management. It is now run by Andrea Riboni, who is also owner of Locanda Solagna, a historic restaurant in Quero/Vas celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2026, where chef Ermanno Barbaresco is in the kitchen. Here, a harmonious garden based on permaculture principles has been created – a system in which plants grow together, supported by microorganisms and insects, with minimal intervention.

Many of the vegetables used at the osteria come from this garden and from a second plot managed with traditional mulching: “We mainly grow cabbages, pumpkins, courgettes, aubergines and some radicchio, but no tomatoes. We chose vegetables that can grow without excessive effort or assistance. In winter we use flavourful ingredients for soups and purées, such as Jerusalem artichokes, black cabbage and various pumpkins, including the Santa Bellunese squash”.

Osteria alla Terrazza
Strada San Pietro 73, Valdobbiadene (TV)
+39 348 728 88 14

Photos by Mattia Mionetto