Oreade Restaurant, Italy

Oreade, an exclusive fine dining restaurant rooted in the local Tuscan culture, is Foster + Partners’ latest addition to the Monteverdi luxury boutique hotel, set within a medieval hilltop village overlooking the Val d’Orcia. Building on the success of the Zita restaurant and art gallery, Oreade offers an intimate fine dining experience for fourteen guests every evening.

Designed exclusively for nighttime dining, the restaurant’s lighting has been crafted by Foster + Partners’ Lighting Team to enrich the dining experience.  A warm interior glow, visible from the village’s narrow street, draws guests inside for a memorable experience. Light is focussed precisely where needed, onto the dining tables, creating intimate pools of warmth that bring guests together without directly illuminating them. The surrounding space remains dim, with minimal, carefully place accents that preserve a sense of calm and depth. Most materials were locally sourced to reduce environmental impact, and regional artisans contributed bespoke elements, most notably a reclaimed 300-year-old ceiling beam repurposed into an illuminated bench with integrated LED lighting. Track-mounted spotlights, discreetly located between the historic timber beams, offer flexibility and creative freedom. In addition to highlighting the tables they reveal the rugged texture of the exposed rock wall and the delicate woven leather acoustic panels, casting gentle shadows that enhance the intimate, welcoming atmosphere.

Through the interplay of light and shadow, the space feels tactile and understated, a place where the lighting subtly elevates the dining experience.