Awards & Recognition
A Journey of Excellence: From Dream to Recognition
At La Sosta del Cavaliere, our accolades tell a story—not of overnight success, but of 14 years of dedication, perseverance, and an unwavering commitment to culinary excellence. Each recognition represents countless hours in the kitchen, difficult decisions during challenging times, and the collective effort of a team that refused to compromise on quality.
2025: A Milestone Year
Forbes Italia: 30 Revelation Chefs of 2025
Forbes Italia recognized Chef Leonardo Fiorenzani as one of the 30 Revelation Chefs of 2025, celebrating his innovative approach to modern Tuscan cuisine and his journey from athlete to acclaimed chef. This prestigious recognition highlights not just technical mastery, but creative vision and the courage to reinterpret tradition.
“Revelation,” Chef Leonardo reflects. “After 14 years, after COVID nearly ended our dream, after countless 16-hour days—revelation. This recognition validates every sacrifice. Every moment Michela and I questioned whether to continue. Every dollar stretched during renovation. Every night perfecting techniques.”
Forbes Italia: 100 Best Innovative Restaurants
La Sosta del Cavaliere was also included in Forbes Italia’s list of 100 Best Innovative Restaurants, recognizing our unique position in the Italian fine dining landscape. Our approach—combining zero-kilometer ingredients, an on-site chef’s garden, rotating art exhibitions, and intimate 15-guest services—sets us apart as a destination that offers more than just exceptional food.
Gambero Rosso: Due Forchette (Two Forks)
Receiving Two Forks from Gambero Rosso in 2025 marked a particularly meaningful milestone: our first time ever appearing in the prestigious guide.
“Without ever having been in the guide before,” Chef Leonardo notes. “For 14 years, we worked without this recognition. Built our reputation table by table, dish by dish, guest by guest. We didn’t cook for awards. We cooked because we had a vision of modern Tuscan cuisine that needed expression.”
The Two Forks designation from Gambero Rosso—Italy’s most respected restaurant guide—represents recognition from the industry’s highest authority that our approach to cuisine, service, and the complete dining experience meets exceptional standards.
JRE Italia Membership
In 2025, La Sosta del Cavaliere joined JRE Italia (Jeunes Restaurateurs d’Europe), an exclusive association of Europe’s finest young restaurateurs committed to excellence, innovation, and passing culinary knowledge forward.
JRE membership isn’t simply an award—it’s joining a family of Europe’s most talented chefs who share rigorous standards:
- Quality of Ingredients: Commitment to the finest raw materials
- Technical Mastery: Precision in execution and technique
- Creative Spirit: Innovation that respects tradition
- Education: Dedication to training the next generation of chefs
Chef Leonardo’s role as a docent at Cesco Siena academy aligns perfectly with JRE’s mission. Excellence isn’t hoarded—it’s shared. Being JRE means we’re held to European fine dining standards every service, every dish, every guest.
This membership places La Sosta del Cavaliere in conversation with the finest young restaurants across Europe. We represent Tuscany on this international stage with pride.
Identità Golose
Featured in Identità Golose, one of Italy’s most influential platforms for contemporary cuisine, La Sosta del Cavaliere gained recognition among the country’s culinary innovators. This feature highlighted our commitment to reinterpreting Tuscan tradition through modern techniques and our farm-to-table philosophy rooted in our on-site garden.
Ambasciatori del Gusto
Membership in Ambasciatori del Gusto recognizes chefs who serve as ambassadors of Italian culinary excellence, promoting quality, tradition, and innovation both domestically and internationally. This designation reflects our commitment to representing not just our restaurant, but the broader values of Italian gastronomy.
Best Restaurant in Tuscany 2025
Named Best Restaurant in Tuscany for 2025, this recognition carries special significance. From a small medieval village. From a renovated space that closed for 18 months during COVID. From a team that works 16-hour days to serve a maximum of 15 guests per service.
This isn’t overnight success—it’s 14 years of incremental excellence. It’s Chef Leonardo’s grandmother’s lessons meeting modern technique. It’s Sommelier Michela Bigio’s expertise elevating every experience. It’s our team’s collective dedication. It’s local suppliers trusting us with their best ingredients. And it’s you—our guests—who believed in us before the awards.
“Best in Tuscany” is an honor. Maintaining that standard is our mission.
The Journey to Recognition
2013: Opening La Sosta del Cavaliere
Chef Leonardo Fiorenzani opened La Sosta del Cavaliere in the medieval village of Torri, just outside Siena. After spending 13 years as a javelin thrower dreaming of Olympic glory, an injury redirected his path back to his first love: cooking, instilled by his grandmother Loriana.
It was also in 2013 that Chef Leonardo met Michela Bigio, who would become his partner in both life and in building the restaurant’s vision. Together, they began transforming what started as a countryside trattoria into something more ambitious.
2013-2019: Evolution and Growth
For six years, La Sosta del Cavaliere evolved gradually. Chef Leonardo and Sommelier Michela worked tirelessly, building their reputation in the local community and among food enthusiasts willing to make the journey to Torri. The vision of fine dining was always there, developing step by step.
2019: The Renovation
December 2019 marked a pivotal moment. The complete renovation from osteria to fine dining restaurant was finished. Everything was perfect—outside, inside, every detail aligned with the vision Chef Leonardo and Michela had nurtured for years.
Then came COVID-19.
2020-2021: The COVID Test
The restaurant closed for a year and a half. After investing everything into the renovation, after finally realizing their dream of a true fine dining space, the doors had to close.
Chef Leonardo and Michela faced an impossible choice: go back to how things were before—safer, simpler, less ambitious—or continue pursuing the fine dining project they had envisioned despite not being economically prepared for more changes.
“We decided to pursue our dream,” Chef Leonardo recalls.
This decision, made during the darkest period of uncertainty, would prove defining. Rather than retreating from their vision during crisis, they doubled down on it. They believed in what they were building strongly enough to risk everything.
2025: Validation and Fuel
The recognition that arrived in 2025—Forbes, Gambero Rosso, JRE, Best Restaurant in Tuscany—validated that difficult COVID-era decision. But more importantly, these accolades serve as fuel rather than finish lines.
“These recognitions give us tremendous motivation to continue working and studying,” Chef Leonardo emphasizes. “Awards aren’t destinations. They’re inspiration to go deeper, work harder, create better.”
Together, our team has reached very important milestones. But the work continues. The pursuit of excellence is ongoing. Every service is an opportunity to honor the recognition we’ve received by maintaining the standards that earned it.
What Recognition Means to Us
Not the Goal, But the Result
We didn’t open La Sosta del Cavaliere to win awards. We opened it because Chef Leonardo had a vision of modern Tuscan cuisine that needed expression. Because Michela believed in creating wine experiences that elevate food. Because we wanted to prove that countryside dining could rival—and surpass—city restaurants.
The awards came because we focused on the work itself: sourcing the finest local ingredients, perfecting techniques, creating genuine emotional experiences for guests, maintaining intimate service standards with our 15-guest maximum.
Recognition followed excellence. Not the other way around.
Responsibility and Standard
Each award carries responsibility. When Gambero Rosso awards Two Forks, when Forbes names you a Revelation Chef, when JRE accepts you as a member—these aren’t just honors. They’re commitments.
Guests now arrive with heightened expectations. They’ve read about us. They’ve seen the accolades. They’re making the 20-minute journey from Siena specifically because of our reputation.
This means every service matters. Every dish must reflect the standards that earned recognition. Every guest experience must justify the trust placed in our work by the institutions that honored us.
We embrace this responsibility. It makes us better.
Team Achievement
Chef Leonardo may receive the individual recognition as chef and JRE member, but he’s the first to emphasize: “Together we accomplish things that alone we couldn’t achieve.”
The Forbes recognition, the Gambero Rosso forks, the JRE membership—these are team accomplishments. They belong to:
- Sommelier Michela Bigio, whose wine program elevates every tasting menu
- Our kitchen team, who execute Chef Leonardo’s vision with precision
- Our service staff, who create the warm, professional atmosphere guests remember
- Our local suppliers, who provide the quality ingredients that make excellence possible
Individual talent matters. Team cohesion creates awards.
Experience Award-Winning Excellence
Our recognition is your invitation to experience what Forbes, Gambero Rosso, and JRE have celebrated:
RICORDI Tasting Menu
5 courses | €70 per person
Journey through memories of traditional Tuscan flavors reimagined with modern technique. Features signature dishes like our Cauliflower-Beet-Sesame (Fior di Cavolo) and the rich, complex Il Brado pork preparation.
Wine pairing available: €40-€60 per person
TERRA Tasting Menu
Vegetarian | 5 courses | €70 per person
A plant-focused celebration of seasonal vegetables and herbs from our on-site garden. Experience how ingredients grown 30 meters from your table can become extraordinary cuisine.
Wine pairing available: €40-€60 per person
ANIMA Tasting Menu
7 courses | €100 per person
Our most complete expression, including the signature Vanilla & Black Tea Tagliolini (Oriente) that showcases Chef Leonardo’s philosophy: tradition as foundation, creativity as expression. This is the menu that earned us Forbes recognition and Gambero Rosso’s Two Forks.
Wine pairing available: €60-€80 per person
Looking Forward
The accolades of 2025 represent acknowledgment of where we’ve been and what we’ve accomplished. But they also represent responsibility for where we’re going.
We continue to:
- Innovate while respecting Tuscan culinary tradition
- Teach the next generation at Cesco Siena academy
- Support local suppliers and the zero-kilometer movement
- Maintain our 15-guest maximum to ensure quality never suffers
- Create emotional experiences that move guests beyond just satisfying hunger
Chef Leonardo works 16-17 hours daily. Our team matches this dedication. We do this not for more awards, but because excellence is its own reward. The recognition that follows is simply confirmation we’re on the right path.
Join us to discover why Forbes, Gambero Rosso, JRE, and food lovers across Tuscany have recognized La Sosta del Cavaliere as one of the region’s finest dining destinations.
Ready to experience award-winning modern Tuscan cuisine?
Open Monday-Tuesday, Thursday-Sunday 19:00-21:30 | Closed Wednesday
Maximum 15 guests per service—advance reservations essential.
La Sosta del Cavaliere | Località Torri, Sovicille (SI) | 20 minutes from Siena
