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Published on August 18, 2007

Situated at the Roof Garden, the three-Michelin-star restaurant, with its elegant cocktail bar, boasts an unparalleled panorama over the Eternal City with St. Peter's dome prominently in view.

The frescoed ceiling and warm cherry wood interiors create a magic atmosphere for the finest dining experience in the capital city.

German-born chef Heinz Beck cooks like a native, with an obsessive love for fresh local products and a typically Italian care for details. Dishes at La Pergola are often spectacular and always inventive, as with the tartare of scampi with a brunoise of papaya and sea cucumber, or the amazing fillet of white trevally served in a crust of vegetables.

The least you can say is that Beck is not your typical Italian chef and that may why his cuisine looks and tastes so different from most of the local gourmet restaurants, which often show remarkable purism when it comes to their dedication to Italian tradition. Despite being one of Rome's most acclaimed cook, he will readily admit that the world of gastronomy doesn't stop at the Italian border.

"I cook light cuisine of Mediterranean flavours, nothing more," says Beck modestly, which doesn't go far to explains his staggering creativity and his unique way of assembling flavours from all over the world.

As far as products are concerned, however, his respect for the finest local ingredients has since long became legendary.

As Beck himself puts it, "we are selling illusions in the restaurant business, and you have to have the right packaging around it".

The man knows how to dazzle, both with his dishes and with how they are served. Small wonder then, that dining at La Pergola always proves to be an unforgettable experience.