i. Biography
Genoa, Italy, is the fixed point in Marco Visciola’s cooking, the reference that organizes the work rather than merely framing it. The plate is built from a coastal inventory: fish and crustaceans, pesto and green beans, seaweed butter and caviar, Taggiasco gin, citrus and herbs. At Il Marin, that Ligurian inheritance functions as method, not decoration, and Visciola’s seafood cuisine with a contemporary flair uses raw fish, grilled catch, pasta, shellfish, and even fish entrails to form a disciplined language of sea and shore.
Coming Up
The 2015 appointment of Marco Visciola as executive chef at Il Marin in Genoa marked the point at which his cooking’s direction became explicit. The work was already moving toward precision, toward seafood, and toward a tight link with place; the role gave that approach a formal home. From there, the kitchen’s register stayed controlled and steady, with 2015 as the moment his name became firmly tied to one of the city’s most notable dining rooms.
Where They Are Now
Since 2016, Visciola has been chef at Il Marin in Genoa, Italy, following his 2015 post as executive chef at the same restaurant. The current work remains rooted in seafood cuisine with a contemporary flair, and that focus has only become more exact. The result is a kitchen that keeps refining its own vocabulary without widening its terms for the sake of effect. The menu is built around specific techniques and states: rawness and maturation, steaming and grilling, butter and sauce, fermented vegetables, herbs, stock, pasta, and the saline depth of fish handled in several forms. Nothing here is pushed toward spectacle. The cooking reads as exacting, layered, and alert to texture and temperature. Across those dishes, the Ligurian coast is present as material, not backdrop, in the brightness, restraint, and tactile force of the work.
Signature
Marco's signature dishes include SFUMATURE DEL MAR LIGURE, CAPPON MAGRO, TORTELLI AL PESTO, SPAGHETTO MARTINI COCKTAIL E CAVIALE, and PESCATO ASADO.
Honors
Marco Visciola has received MICHELIN Guide, First Michelin Star (2023). Marco's honors include First Michelin Star.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Marco
Where did Marco Visciola work before?
Marco Visciola's earlier career included Il Marin.
What recognition has Marco Visciola received?
First Michelin Star (2023).
