The Antico Pignolo Restaurant adjacent to the Hotel Montecarlo is one of the most prestigious and renowned eating places in Venice. Built in 1200, the building occupied by the restaurant was once a blacksmith's forge, where horses from the royal stables were shoed. Between 1600 and 1700 it was used as a bakery to make bread for the convent. In 1930, the Antico Pignolo Restaurant was opened and was frequented from the very beginning by an elegant and exclusive clientele. Over the past thirty years, the establishment has been run by Riccardo De Pietri and attention to detail, elegant service and refined menus have become the restaurant's guiding principles. The Antico Pignolo boasts a cellar containing 900 carefully selected wines from every corner of the world. Repeatedly acclaimed internationally, the cellar has for a number of years been receiving the Best Award of Excellence for the best wine list in the world.