Entertainment · Celebrity · 1 hr ago
Nadia Santini, first Italian woman chef to win three Michelin stars, dies at 73
Nadia Santini, a pioneering Italian chef, has died at either 72 or 73; reports differ on her age.
She co-owned and ran Dal Pescatore in Canneto sull’Oglio, in the province of Mantua, with her husband, Antonio.
Santini learned to cook without professional training, working alongside her mother-in-law before helping turn the family trattoria into a fine-dining restaurant.
She became the first Italian woman chef to earn three Michelin stars, reaching that level in 1996 after receiving her first two stars in 1982 and 1988.
The stars are a top restaurant distinction, and Dal Pescatore has kept all three since 1996.
Santini was also named the world’s best female chef in 2013.
Her sons Giovanni and Alberto now run the restaurant and have retained its three stars.
Nadia Santini, the first Italian woman chef to earn three Michelin stars, has died.
The reports say she died on November 2, 2026, at Dal Pescatore, the restaurant she ran with her husband, Antonio Santini, in Runate, near Canneto sull’Oglio.
Il Post and Gazzetta di Mantova report that she was 73, while Corriere della Sera says she was 72.
Santini earned her first Michelin star in 1982, her second in 1988 and her third in 1996.
Her sons, Giovanni and Alberto, now run the restaurant, which has retained its three stars.
- Who
- Nadia Santini, an Italian chef and the first Italian woman to earn three Michelin stars.
- What
- She has died. Reports give her age as either 73 or 72.
- When
- November 2, 2026.
- Where
- Dal Pescatore in Runate, near Canneto sull’Oglio, in the province of Mantua.
- Why
- Not stated.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Santini earned her first Michelin star.
She earned her second Michelin star.
She earned her third Michelin star.
She was named Veuve Clicquot World's Best Female Chef.
Santini died, according to the reports.
- Age at death
- 73 according to Il Post and Gazzetta di Mantova; 72 according to Corriere della Sera
- Restaurant
- Dal Pescatore, Runate, near Canneto sull’Oglio
- First Michelin star
- 1982
- Third Michelin star
- 1996
- 2013 award
- Veuve Clicquot World's Best Female Chef
3 sources
What people are saying
Nadia, surrounded by her dearest loved ones, fell asleep in peace and went up to heaven. She left a deep mark on our lives, shaped by sensitivity, empathy and love. We are grateful that she taught us moral rigor, work ethic and simplicity. Thank you, Nadia, thank you, Mum.
We were two twenty-year-olds looking for our path.
Those who come to us want to find romanticism; those who seek avant-garde or enlightenment go elsewhere. And that is fine: in cooking I find all the literary movements.