R Collection Hotels announces the beginning of a new chapter for Bianca Relais with the appointment of Filippo Oggioni as Executive Chef. His arrival marks the start of a strategic journey built on a shared vision, long-term planning and significant investment, with the aim of positioning Bianca Relais as a maison deeply committed to quality and sustainability, understood not only as expressions of cuisine and product, but also as human and organizational values.
At the heart of this new direction is the fine dining restaurant Bianca sul Lago, set to become the cornerstone of the property’s culinary offering and a new destination on Lake Annone. The cuisine will be contemporary and identity-driven, in constant dialogue with the surrounding territory and landscape, while reflecting an evolved vision of hospitality.
This new role represents both continuity and evolution in Filippo Oggioni’s professional path. He will continue to serve as Executive Chef and owner of Vecchio Ristoro in Aosta, a well-established and highly regarded restaurant he founded and developed together with his partner and maître, Paolo Bariani. The operational leadership of the brigade will be entrusted to Tommaso Lupo, who has worked alongside him for the past three years. A natural transition built over time, it will allow Oggioni to focus on the new venture while the new Resident Chef and his young team ensure the impeccable execution of the menus he has created, inspired by the principles of freshness and seasonality, and continue the growth journey they began together.
The meeting with R Collection Hotels and the entrepreneurial vision of the Rocchi family sparked the beginning of an identity-driven and long-term culinary project, designed to enhance gastronomic excellence, local culture and a contemporary approach to hospitality.
Alongside the fine dining restaurant, Filippo Oggioni will oversee the entire food & beverage offering at Bianca Relais, from breakfast – conceived as a moment of genuine simplicity, with careful attention to quality ingredients and waste reduction – to the Drop Restaurant & Lounge Bar, already a reference point for both guests and the local community, from lunch through to the sunset aperitif. This is a cohesive project in which each outlet contributes to creating a refined, distinctive and high-level culinary experience, in constant dialogue with nature, the rhythm of the lake, and a vision of contemporary, mindful hospitality.
“This project represents a key strategic step for us,” says Ludovica Rocchi, Owner and Brand Director of R Collection Hotels. “Bianca Relais has a strong identity and extraordinary potential, which we have chosen to develop through a long-term vision, targeted investments, and a structured plan. In Filippo Oggioni, we have recognized a sensitivity and discipline fully aligned with the group’s values: quality, authenticity, respect for the territory, and sustainability understood as a culture of work. With him, we aim to build a culinary offering that can become a true point of reference, over time and with consistency.”
The development plan will therefore involve not only the restaurant Bianca sul Lago but the entire guest experience. Significant investments are planned in the kitchen, the creation of a high-profile wine cellar, the recruitment of a large and highly qualified staff, and a structured work organization, with the aim of establishing a new gastronomic destination within a naturally extraordinary setting.
The project will develop in close synergy with Bianca Relais’ vegetable garden, as well as with small local producers, farmers, and markets, and will be supported by professionals with experience in top-tier international fine dining.
“Bianca Relais is a place that naturally invites attentiveness, respect for ingredients, and the rhythms of nature,” comments Filippo Oggioni. “With the Rocchi family, I have found an ownership that shares a profound vision of cuisine and hospitality, based on discipline, conscious simplicity, and care for people. Our goal is to build a solid and recognizable project, where every detail—from the fine dining restaurant to all other moments of the day—contributes to an authentic, refined, and effortless experience.”
After a short seasonal closure, Bianca Relais and the Drop Restaurant & Lounge Bar will reopen on Friday, March 13, 2026. The first service at the fine dining restaurant Bianca sul Lago is scheduled for the evening of Thursday, April 2, 2026.
