The Castelli Romani are considered the place where you eat the best Roman cuisine in the capital. Porchetta, cheese and pepper, lamb, beef fillet, tozzetti with almonds, and so on and so forth.
Always the Castelli Romani they are among the most popular places for the inhabitants of the capital for a trip out of town or for a quiet weekend of good food and quality wine.
Holiday resorts of the bourgeoisie since the times of the Empire, the sixteen towns located on the Alban Hills they are located in the south-eastern area of ​​the capital and have always fascinated artists and writers of all times but above all tourists who choose the Castles for a cultural and relaxing holiday. The beauty of the landscapes, the goodness of the world famous wine and the other gastronomic delicacies make it one of the most irresistible places for summer holidays.
Spaghetti alla carbonara, coratella, la Porchetta fraschette, Genzano bread or tripe and chicory. In no other part of Italy has the gastronomic tradition maintained the home imprint as in the towns of the Castelli Romani. Our culinary tour begins with Ariccia and then continues to Castel Gandolfo, Frascati and Grottaferrata.
Ariccia
The culinary trip to the Castles starts right from one of the villages that boasts ancient origins, Ariccia.
Located halfway between two lakes of volcanic origin, Ariccia has an important architectural and cultural history as most of its buildings were destroyed at the time of the barbarian invasions and many rebuilt by Bernini. The cultural importance of Ariccia is perfectly combined with its culinary delights, one of these is certainly the Porchetta.
Became famous all over the world, the porchetta of Ariccia it differs from the dish common to many Italian areas for the seasoning, based on a mix of herbs and spices and kept as a secret by the families who manage the sale of the precious product. Porchetta precisely characterizes the menus of the renowned "fraschette”, A must for all the tourists of the Castelli Romani. The fraschette are taverns where once only wine was served, while food was brought from home. Today you can eat everything, from the typical pork to meats and cheeses.
The streets where you can find them are Via Borgo S.Rocco e via dell'Uccelliera; in the summer the squares are also filled with outdoor tables where you can enjoy the quality of the products combined with the lowest price (menu of 10, 20 or 30 euros). I would like to point out one of the most awaited appointments by the Romans which annually records thousands of visitors or the pork festival in Ariccia for early September.
Castel Gandolfo
Located in the province of Rome, on the shores of Lake Albano, Castel Gandolfo is a town of about 8000 inhabitants belonging to the Castelli Romani area, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. This enchanting place is surrounded by beautiful papal villas and is known for having been chosen as the Pope's summer residence. Also in this village there is no shortage of gastronomic traditions and there is a product of which the inhabitants of Castel Gandolfo are particularly proud, namely the "cheeks of canon". The latter are excellent peaches grown on lake land to which the patronal feast is dedicated with a festival on the last Sunday of July.
You cannot leave the restaurants of Castel Gandolfo without having tasted the bucatini all'amatriciana but above all the frying of lattarini (small lake fish) accompanied by the Colli Albani Doc wine. To report thePagnanelli restaurant, one of the oldest and most renowned of the Castles, which will allow you to taste the typical cuisine of the place while admiring the panorama that the lake and its vegetation offer.
Frascati
Continue our culinary tour with the city chosen by many Roman nobles, Frascati. It is famous for its city that, from the mid-sixteenth century onwards, the wealthy wealthy of the city had built (such as Villa Aldobrandini and Villa Torlonia) but also for one of the pride of the Castelli food and wine, the Frascati DOC wine.
An elegant and delicate wine for the whole meal, Frascati is very popular both in the capital and in Lazio. In the Fraschette of Frascati they can be enjoyed at a good price wine, olives, cheeses, porchetta and typical Roman dishes. But also many desserts are included in the tastings such as the pupazza, the pangiallo, the tozzetti, wine donuts and egg serpette, all accompanied by Cannellino di Frascati DOC.
Grottaferrata
Grottaferrata has become famous for its Abbey of S. Nilo, identified by scholars as the Tusculanum of Cicero, of which very little remains standing. Unlike the other more rustic areas, Grottaferrata is famous for its quality restaurants which are the most important business activity in the town.
From over 50 years, Tranquillity it is one of the most popular of the out door restaurants of the Castelli Romani and is located in Squarciarelli. The restaurant keeps the Roman and Castellana culinary tradition firm, reproducing ancient flavors accompanied with excellent wines selected from the best Italian and foreign wineries.
The specialties of the restaurant? Spaghetti cheese and pepper, polenta with ribs, lamb, beef fillet, ham focaccia, tozzetti with almonds.
