Towns of Lazio: Alatri

      Last weekend, we had one of the last days of warm sunshine until March or April, I fear.  We took full advantage and headed straight down to the Hernico mountains, stopping by the city of the popes, Anagni, along the way.  Anagni is a gorgeous town in Lazio that is not to be missed, but, when it came to choosing a place to eat for lunch, Alatri has one of my favorite osteria in Lazio.  Being about a 30 minute drive from Anagni, we booked the last two places available at the Osteria Bacco e Ciacco, and had ourselves a wonderful day out.
     Alatri is a wonderful town nestled in the heart of the Hernico hills.  The Hernico Hills are to be found in the south of Lazio, in the region of Frosinone, and border with Abruzzo.  They are both cultural and natural treasure in Lazio with their picturesque mountains which are perfect for hiking, and birdwatching, skiing.  Then, the 16 historical towns that make up the mountain  community.  They are named after a pre-Roman culture that once resided in the area, the Hernico, who were eventually assimilated and swallowed into the Roman empire. 

 

View from the acropolis of Alatri

 

Alatri is the best preserved town of the province, the town walls and acropolis date back to the 6th century B.C. and are still intact.  The walls of the town best show the the technology of the Hernico people.  They are huge and will impress even the most cynical of people. 

  

The large size of the massive stones brings to mind the legendary Cyclops, after whom they are named.  Cyclopic stones.

 

 

The outside wall of the 6th B.C. acropolis

 

«Ye citizens were wont to call me Ciacco;
For the pernicious sin of gluttony,
I, as thou seest, am battered by this rain.» (Inferno, VI, 52-54)

     The name, according to Buti, one of the oldest scholars of Dante,  suggests a derogatory nature of this name: "Ciacco is said to be a pig's name, hence he was called this way for his gluttony"  Bacco, or, Bacchus, of course is referring to the roman god of wine.  With a name that refers to the sin of gluttony and the pagan god of pleasure and wine, one may expect delicious treats inside.  And they definately to be had. 
     This was our third visit to the osteria, and we were a bit skeptical when we entered into its new location.  Our first two visits had been darling.  The osteria was a hole in the wall with the capacity to seat about 15 people, max.  The new location is to levels and has the capacity to seat at least 50 people.  With the change, would the quality of the food change?  Would the service be less friendly and personal?  It only took us about 5 minutes to realize there was nothing to worry about.  They were able to move to a bigger location based on the quality of the food.  The place was packed, the service excellent and friendly with the addition of ONE waitress, and the food, in a word, excellent. 

 

We started with a bottle of local Cesanese del Piglio, which you can read about HERE. 

Mixed grilled vegetable and crostini antipasto

 We started with the mixed grilled/roasted vegetables and mixed crostini. This included grilled marinated eggplant, grilled marinated zucchini, roasted red peppers, grilled radicchio, and roasted fennel.  Everything was prepared perfectly.  The vegetables were the most flavorful I have ever eaten.  The marinated eggplant was incredible, perfectly grilled with delicate flavors of olive oil, garlic, and Italian parsley.  I could tell each vegetable was individually prepared because they all retained wonderful aromas, texture, and flavor balance.

 Crostini with black truffle sauce

The main event for me were the mixed crostini, which are small toasts.  They came with a small amount of oil dribbled over them, and with tiny serving bowls and spoons for self service.  The sauces were all homemade, fresh and lovely.  They included black truffle sauce, hot peppers, and an olive paste.  Of course my favorite was the black truffle, which paired excellently with the Cesanese del Piglio. 

Close up of roasted fennel and grilled vegetables.  

Primo: Strozzapreti with a walnut and pumpkin sauce

     For my first course, I ordered the strozzapretti with a walnut and pumpkin sauce.  Strozzapreti are a simple handmade pasta made from water and flour, which which are then manipulated into a sort of corkscrew shape.  Their name means, "strangled priests."  Even though the name is historical, it is a bit relevant in today's Church atmosphere.  I have also seen they called "Strangled Husbands."  

    My dish was outstanding.  The walnuts gave it a bite while the pumpkin gave it a velvety smooth texture.  It was creamy, rich, and hard not to stuff the entire plate in my mouth at once.  The pasta was perfectly cooked as well, and each corkscrew held the sauce well, ensuring that each bite was a luxury of pasta and sauce.  I am sure this would not be difficult to make at home.  While I was eating them, I couldn't help but imagine thinly sliced white truffles on top.  Maybe next time I should bring one of my Tuscan truffles with me and secretly slice the truffles over it while nobody is looking. ;)

 

Cime di rape in padella

     For my second course I ordered a side dish of cime di rape in padella, which are sauteed field greens from the area.  Man,  it was a delicious plate and a great way to finish off my meal.  I love cime di rape because it is both slightly sweet, when cooked with garlic, and slightly bitter.  It is healthy as well.  One cup of this vegetable will provide more iron than a beef hamburger patty, which I would never eat because beef is disgusting and comes from a murdered cow.  I'll take the field greens, thanks!

I actually finished off with a few slices of pineapple.  I like to end my meals with a piece of fruit to aid digestion.  Pineapple is fill of enzymes that are perfect for this.  

Osteria Bacco e Ciacco

Via Duomo 11

Alatri, FR

0775 447090

reservations recommended, closed Mondays

For a fun day trip from Rome to Anagni and Alatri contact Antiqua Tours

Rocca Massima: Locanda dell'Arcangelo

Narrow streets of Rocca Massima

     Yesterday I barely moved from the sofa because it was so hot and humid here.  Poor Ettore had to work under the hot Roman sun, and when he came home it was much cooler than what the Romans feel in the summer, but still deathly hot for me.   We live in the hills outside Rome, the Castelli Romani.  The air is cleaner, fresher, and cooler during the summer, which is why on weekends, loads of Romans come up here to eat, cool off, and take a swim at the Lake near Castel Gandolfo.   We Castelli residents need to cool off as well, and we need to escape the loads of nasty porchetta eaters in Ariccia.  Last night,  Ettore and I headed up to the hills to a small little town called Rocca Massima.  It was a lovely evening.  We could see the Castelli from a bird’s eye view, and gaze from the top of the town that overlooks the sea.  Rocca Massima is very close to Cori, and has pre-roman roots.  Like many towns in Lazio, it is a small medieval hilltop town built on the foundations of a previous culture.  Rocca Massima belonged to the Volsci, which is also the same people of the town of Velletri, and many argue that the greatest emperors of Rome had Volsci roots, as they came from these towns. 

Tuscany's new rival?

     We hoped into our car and drove through fields that could easily compete with anything I have seen in Tuscany.  I went a bit wild with my new camera’s panorama setting! 

     We escaped the heat of Genzano, and of course ran into a bunch of Genzanese people with the same idea.    The difference for us and a Roman meeting another Roman in the Castelli is that we all actually know each other.    There was a local food and wine festival going on which had an itinerary that led visitors all around the town.  We didn’t come for the festival, though.  We came to have a relaxing dinner with a nice view.  

Locanda dell’Arcangelo

     We decided on a cute little B&B at the very top of the town called Locanda dell’Arcangelo.  They had a wonderfully descriptive menu filled with local treats and a wine menu that had a fantastic selection of wines from Lazio.  Everything was very inexpensive.   Ettore and I love going to these old towns outside the Castelli and outside Rome.  Latina is a province in Lazio that I think is the place to watch.  We eat fresh and seasonal vegetables, we try new wines by winemakers that have a passion for the history of their land, and we learn about cultures of the region.  What I love about Lazio, besides the food and wine, is the fact that for us, a drive of about 20 minutes took us to a completely different place.  Homogeny doesn’t seem to exist between towns once you escape the province of Rome.

View from our table

     Another delightful point:  Lazio is one of the easiest regions to be a vegan.  The kitchen is loaded with incredible vegetables.  They are also extraordinarily diverse.   We always order an antipasto of vegetables, and every place we go outside the province of Rome  has their own selection of locally available goodies.  

In Rome and the provinces of Rome it is always the same plate of boring grilled vegetables.  Outside the province of Rome t

hey are sometimes what the family has growing in their garden, what was available at the market that day, and sometimes what they find in the field. 

Antipasto

     

    Locanda dell’Arcangelo  had an enticing antipasto di verdure which included grilled eggplant, stuffed eggplant, lightly roasted carrots with thyme, cipolline in agrodolce(sweet and sour pearl onions),  Gaeta olives, insalata d’orzo(Barley salad) , bruschetta, and zucchini.  The bruschette were inedible.  The bread was at least a week old and they didn’t add any salt.  Everything else was fine.  The pearl onions were especially delicious.  We ordered a bottle of Marco Carpineti  Capolemole Bianco 2009.  Carpineti is the winery I want so much to succeed, and I wrote about in an earlier blog.  The wine had a lovely hay yellow color, lovely floral and fruity aromas, with a hint of bread, but it was someone flat and lacked acidity.  

Gorgeous Pasta

     
     For my first dish I ordered an absolutely scrumptious pasta con zucchini, radicchio con olio, aglio e menta(pasta with zucchini, radicchio, oil, garlic and mint). It was a well balanced plate of heaven.  The radicchio and zucchini were perfectly cooked, the pasta wasn’t loaded with oil, the aromatic flavors from the garlic and mint were utter perfection in my mouth.  And despite the wine’s lack of freshness, the aromas and fruitiness paired well with my aromatic dish.  I was very happy.  And full. 

Super greasy radicchio ;(

    

Of course we ordered everything at the beginning of the evening when our stomachs were empty from not eating lunch earlier(too hot to cook) and we both had a case of eyes are bigger than the stomach, but we did not cancel our contorni of vegetables we ordered.  We ordered grilled radicchio, cicoria, and French fries (say what you want, they were delicious).  The radicchio was grilled and swimming in oil and Aceto Balsamico  that tasted artificially sweet.  We only took a few bites.  The cicoria was nothing special, but at least it was cooked well and not dripping in oil like I tend to see in Rome.  The French fries were homemade and perfect.  Almost as good as the perfect plate of fries I once had at the Madonna Inn many years ago. 

     

     

          Cost for two people with starter, first, sides, a bottle of wine and a fantastic view? 

€50

I love Latina.

Cori Day Trip

    Temple of Hercules and Medieval bell tower

Of Wine and Lazio

    Cori is a small medieval town in Latina, which is a province of Lazio, in Italy.  Rome is also in the region of Lazio, and yet, unlike many parts of Italy, Lazio is one of the most forgotten regions of Italy.  Rome, a city of monuments, popes and politics, overwhelms Lazio, leaving towns like Cori to continue to evolve and watch time go by as they remain unchanged.  The towns of Lazio have a medieval facade, which often buries a pre-roman foundation.  Rome, too, was once a village,  that became an empire, which them fell to become another medieval village of Italy.  Cori is a town I want to keep my eye on. As a wine drinker, I have a deep fascination with the wines of Italy, and I especially love the "newer" style of Lazio winemaking.  In Cori, they are going back to their roots, rediscovering their indigenous grapes and making great and interesting wines at a very good price.  Cori, was once a town of Volsci, a Pre-Roman Italian civilization who were assimilated by the Romans by the 6th c. BCE.   The Romans were very good at assimilated cultures throughout the penninsula, and virtually eliminating any memory of the culture before.  Or so they thought.  You can still meet people who refer to themselves as Latini, Volsci, or Etruschi. Long ago, when Rome fell to Barbarians, People maintined their ancient heritage and remembered their roots.  The birth of the Middle Ages in Rome gave birth to what Italy is today, which is not so much the heir of homogenous Rome,  but a very diverse culture of hundreds of dialects, kitchens, and wine.  People went back to their roots in the middle ages.  They built their medieval towns on the ancient foundations that already existed.  They isolated themselves, and really, the only true link they had with each other was the Church.   This is why, when we visit these old stone towns upon hills, we travel back in time, to a pastoral Italy that is dying and going extinct.  Before the monuments of Rome, Italians were pastoral people, very much linked to the land, and soo they still are.  Cori is a fantastic example of Lazio being built on itself time and time again.  We walked through the town, visited the medieval alleys, saw the Roman gates, all built on top of Pre-Roman foundations.  The roots of the greatest Roman orator, Cicero, are Volscian.  His house was in the valley below Velletri, the capital of the Volscian league. 

    Trattoria Da Checco

 We decided to have lunch first.  Cori is about 45 km. south of Rome, so it was a lovely drive past the Castelli Romani through Velletri and down to the grassy fields of Cori.  We found this trattoria,  Trattoria Da Checco When we arrived, it was empty, but I suppose this is because we arrived earlier than the usual lunch hour for Italians.  One of the reasons I wanted to eat here is because they had a local wine list, including wines from the Carpineti cantina.  Marco Carpineti makes wonderfully rustic and organic wine all made with the indigenous grapes of the area.  

 

Capomole

     We ordered the Capomole.  Now, I don't usually carry around a wine notebook when I am having a casual lunch, but I wanted to make a note of this wine, because I really enjoyed it.  Luckily I had a tiny notebook that I used to scribble some tasting notes.  First, the color: we noted it was ruby red with a hint of garnet.  We both found the aromas intense and complex, a very earthy wine, with hints of clay and wet forrest.  We noted leather, dried red currants, with hints of wet grass and rosemary.  Underneath all that it had a very obvious note of licorice, which made sense when I read it was a blend that incuded the Montepulciano grape.  There was something I couldn't quite wrap my  nose around, it was a bitter and earthy aroma.  It made my mouth water and reminded me of sunshine and the fall in Tuscany.  It reminded me of youthful love and then sipping wine in a moldy wine cellar in Rome while snacking on porcini mushrooms. Then it came to me, black truffles!  In fact, it came to me in such a flash that I shouted to Ettore, Tartufi Neri!  While my nose was busy in the glass, I failed to notice that the trattoria had filled up, and it wasn't just Ettore and I anymore.  Oh well, for me, truffles are always something to get excited about!  I also noted a hint of pencil.  Why would I know this?  I am one of those anxious people that chews on pencils while listening to lectures.  I have known what pencils taste and smell like since I was a child in elementary school.   This was on the palate was very well rounded, mineral, dry and had lovely soft tannins.  It was warm on the palate, I didn't write it down, but I believe it was at least 13%.  For me, I didn't find it fresh enough.  The acidity for me was lower than I would have expected, but Ettore found the wine to be very fresh.   On this we differed.  Wine is, afterall, subjective, perhaps I had a cold.  This wine is made from a blend of Montepulciano, Nero Buono, and Cesanese grapes.  How very laziale!  Now, on to the food.... 

We both ordered antipasto verdure grigliate.  We each got a plate of grilled and marinated vegetables including eggplant, sundried tomatoes, artichoke, olives, and red peppers.  All were very fresh and delicious, though, I found them a bit on the oily side. 

Luckily they gave us enough of this rustic bread to clean up all the leftover olive oil in the plate! Hi Ettore!  :)

I ordered Cellitti con funghi porcini e zucchine for my first course  The pasta was incredible and prefectly al dente.  Cellitti is a water and flour pasta that is very easy to make at home.  It was all very fresh and flavorful, but, again, I found that they were a little heavy handed with the oil.  When I was almost finished and at the bottom of the bowl, the pasta was swimming in oil.  errrrrr...

 

For my second course I ordered fresh porcini mushrooms.  They were amazing.  They had the perfect consistency and firmness, they were cooked to perfection, with just the right amount of oil, salt, parsley and red pepper.  They had a nice soft bitterness that I quite enjoyed with the the wine. 

I also ordered grilled radicchio.  Talk about BITTER.  It was so delicious I was practically licking the plate when I was done.  Wikipedia defines radicchio as follows:  Radicchio is a leaf chicory (Cichorium intybus, Asteraceae), sometimes known as Italian chicory. It is grown as a leaf vegetable which usually has white-veined red leaves. It has a bitter and spicy taste, which mellows when it is grilled or roasted.  YUM.  It was bitter and it overpowered the wine.  Luckily we had pretty much finished the bottle off before the radicchio.

 We decided to have a walk around the town, which was pretty much a ghost town built on a hill with stones.  I love these old doors. 

The Temple of Hercules

     It was just fantastic to walk through Cori and see the old temples with Christian churches built into them.  Our trip ended with a drive down the hill to the winery Marco Carpineti where we tasted a few more wines and bought a case to go home with.  Unfortunately they had sold  every single bottle of white wine!  I have had their whites and they are lovely.  Mr. Carpineti was a very gracious host.  He spent ample time with us explaining their organic vineyards, introducing us to the enologist, describing their methods and philosophy, and letting us taste some wines.  He also had some very nice cats(what can I say, I am a sucker for kitties!).  Carpineti incorporates old winemaking with the new, using sound and sustainable practices on the land which has produced wine for thousands of years. 

If you are interested in an enogastronomic day tour from Rome, contact Antiqua Tours