Restaurants in the 'Castelli' Towns near Rome
Created | Updated Jun 1, 2010
Fontana Vecchia (Frascati)
There are seven 'Castelli' (castles) towns near Rome, i.e. Colonna, Frascati, Grottaferrata, Monte Porzio Catone, Montecompatri, Rocca di Papa and Rocca Priora. All other towns which claim to be part of the Castelli are not entirely truthful. Tourism is important and restaurants of all types have flourished. As usual, some of them are good, others average and some you shouldn't touch with a barge pole.
Menus vary although typically one can find 'fettuccine ai funghi porcini' ie long egg-pasta with wild mushrooms (the menu should indicate when the mushrooms are deep frozen), 'abbacchio a scottadito' (grilled baby lamb to be eaten with your fingers), an assortment of grilled meats and roasts.
Bottled Frascati wine (white) dominates the scene, but one can find, with a bit of luck, also a good wine sold by the carafe. Red Castelli wine is on the upswing - a good sign. Overall decent fare, but a bit boring for those who live in the area. There is a place which differs. Sturdy wooden tables covered with white linen and sparkling glasses. The ten tables fit into two l-shaped rooms.
There is an incredible variety of starters (antipasti) ranging from 'alici marinate' (fresh anchovies swimming in lemon juice) to the 'caponatina di melanzane e tonno' (sweet and sour aubergines cooked in tomato sauce, celery, pine nuts, a couple of tons of other spices and tuna. Two blackboards list the first courses of pasta, rice and soups (try the 'schiaffoni melanzane e scamorza' - big short tubular pasta with aubergines and smoked mozzarella) as well as the 'rombo in crosta di patate' (a flat fish encrusted in potato slivers and cooked in the oven; the fish remains moist and tasty).
The wine served usually is the 'vino della casa' a white Montecompatri DOC (denominazione di origine controllata) sold by the carafe. Not bad.
When artichokes (carciofi) are in season between October and March, have them deep fried, stewed or 'alla giudia' (jewish style). There was also a wonderful dessert.
At the time of writing, the cost per person was around 35 euro, depending mostly on the amount and quality of wine one drinks. A bottle of Brunello di Montalcino would easily cost around 100 euros, The place is called 'Fontana Vecchia' (old fountain) and it is in Via di Fontana Vecchia in Frascati. Dinner only. Booking is not only welcome, but also a must.
Agriturismo SS. Apostoli (Frascati)
41°50’51.81”N 12°40’42.46”E 433ft elev. on Google earth. That’s where the ‘Agriturismo SS. Apostoli’is. The SS stands for ‘Santissimi’ – holy to the highest degree: one can't get more saintly than that. Located – of course - in the ‘Via SS. Apostoli’ of Frascati, the over 100-year-old farmhouse literally borders with the Comune of Rome. A bit like being in Greenwich: hop and you’re in the East; another hop and you’re back in the West..It’s very easy to reach from Frascati: follow the indications for the town of ‘Colonna’, skip the first traffic light (just a pedestrian crossing) and at the second turn left down to Via Pietra Porzia or the Porzia Stone Road (coming from Rome, the same road is instead called Via Prataporci ie Pigs’ Meadows Road). Continue until you find the ‘Vivaio Crea’ on the right and 50 yards after, on the left, turn into Via dei SS Apostoli. Continue until you see a reassuring deep red/orange farmhouse to the right floating above a green sea of vineyards responsible for the pleasant red and white wines produced on premises.
The wine is stored in a ‘Grotta’ (cave), underneath the farmhouse, which maintains a constant temperature . The wine leaves a positive impression. Chemical fertilizers or pesticides are not used on the farm. This may mean that if you drink one glass too many, your brain will be clear, but your knees will not respond to any attempts to get up from the table.
Upon entering the restaurant, you’ll be greeted by Luca, a very tall guy with a smile as broad as his oversize shoes, or by his sister Simona, an apparently frail and delicate young lady who can jump on a tractor with nonchalance and plough for a couple of hours, or by her husband the talkative English-speaking Paolo, an Economist ex-VIP of the State Electricity Board (Enel).
The food: Two 'antipasti'(starters): a dish of Italian salami, Parma ham and extremely fresh ‘ricotta’ (twice cooked) sheep cheese; so fresh it is still sweet and warm from the shepard’s home, or the ‘frittini’ fried finger food. The frittini are not soggy nor ooze oil; they are light as a cloud – a bit like tempura. Most of these fried vegetables are from the farm's own orchard.
The first course allows for a choice between two types of pasta. Ask for an ‘assaggino’ (a little taste) of both. Sauces vary in accordance with seasons. If you’re lucky, ‘ravioli’ (egg pasta squares) filled with savoury pumpkin and chestnuts are sprinkled with a cream sauce and are available in autumn/winter; linguine (long pasta the size and shape of a flat shoelace) al ‘pesto’ in summer. ‘Pesto’ is an uncooked sauce made by mixing and blending, with a marble pestle and mortar, the small-leafed and very aromatic basil grown in Italy’s Liguria Region, garlic cloves, coarse salt, extra virgin olive oil and, according to taste, grated parmesan cheese or grana padano. When ready, the pasta is dumped in a salad bowl, the pesto poured on and served immediately..
The second courses also reflect the time of the year. At the time of writing (February 2010) a wild boar stew will be served, with its gamey taste almost unnoticeable after marinating the meat and cooking it with a selection of herbs (cook’s secret).’Involtini’ (rolled slices of veal) stuffed with creamy cheese are also on the menu as well as chicken cooked in ‘malvasia puntinata’ wine (red). God knows what summer will bring. Crisp and fresh lettuce from the orchard, fried potatoes (real spuds, not the dehydrated-reconsituted deep frozen variety), and grilled vegs accompany the main course.
And now, anyone belonging to the Club of Diabetics should avert their eyes. The kitchen hosts a Cordon Bleu chef specialising in cakes.The winning desert is a cylindrical dark chocolate sweet, one inch high and cooked in the oven. This maintains a creamy chocolate-inside which spreads out onto the plate as soon as a spoon is inserted into this marvellous creation.
Enough! Homemade biscuits and bread (three or four different types of both) complete the picture.
A mortgage is unnecessary. About 30 euro will be sufficient to pay for the meal. Advance booking on Saturdays and Sundays is a must. Meals are also served, occasionally, on Thursdays and Fridays..
There are seven 'Castelli' (castles) towns near Rome, i.e. Colonna, Frascati, Grottaferrata, Monte Porzio Catone, Montecompatri, Rocca di Papa and Rocca Priora. All other towns which claim to be part of the Castelli are not entirely truthful. Tourism is important and restaurants of all types have flourished. As usual, some of them are good, others average and some you shouldn't touch with a barge pole.
Menus vary although typically one can find 'fettuccine ai funghi porcini' ie long egg-pasta with wild mushrooms (the menu should indicate when the mushrooms are deep frozen), 'abbacchio a scottadito' (grilled baby lamb to be eaten with your fingers), an assortment of grilled meats and roasts.
Bottled Frascati wine (white) dominates the scene, but one can find, with a bit of luck, also a good wine sold by the carafe. Red Castelli wine is on the upswing - a good sign. Overall decent fare, but a bit boring for those who live in the area. There is a place which differs. Sturdy wooden tables covered with white linen and sparkling glasses. The ten tables fit into two l-shaped rooms.
There is an incredible variety of starters (antipasti) ranging from 'alici marinate' (fresh anchovies swimming in lemon juice) to the 'caponatina di melanzane e tonno' (sweet and sour aubergines cooked in tomato sauce, celery, pine nuts, a couple of tons of other spices and tuna. Two blackboards list the first courses of pasta, rice and soups (try the 'schiaffoni melanzane e scamorza' - big short tubular pasta with aubergines and smoked mozzarella) as well as the 'rombo in crosta di patate' (a flat fish encrusted in potato slivers and cooked in the oven; the fish remains moist and tasty).
The wine served usually is the 'vino della casa' a white Montecompatri DOC (denominazione di origine controllata) sold by the carafe. Not bad.
When artichokes (carciofi) are in season between October and March, have them deep fried, stewed or 'alla giudia' (jewish style). There was also a wonderful dessert.
At the time of writing, the cost per person was around 35 euro, depending mostly on the amount and quality of wine one drinks. A bottle of Brunello di Montalcino would easily cost around 100 euros, The place is called 'Fontana Vecchia' (old fountain) and it is in Via di Fontana Vecchia in Frascati. Dinner only. Booking is not only welcome, but also a must.
Agriturismo SS. Apostoli (Frascati)
41°50’51.81”N 12°40’42.46”E 433ft elev. on Google earth. That’s where the ‘Agriturismo SS. Apostoli’is. The SS stands for ‘Santissimi’ – holy to the highest degree: one can't get more saintly than that. Located – of course - in the ‘Via SS. Apostoli’ of Frascati, the over 100-year-old farmhouse literally borders with the Comune of Rome. A bit like being in Greenwich: hop and you’re in the East; another hop and you’re back in the West..It’s very easy to reach from Frascati: follow the indications for the town of ‘Colonna’, skip the first traffic light (just a pedestrian crossing) and at the second turn left down to Via Pietra Porzia or the Porzia Stone Road (coming from Rome, the same road is instead called Via Prataporci ie Pigs’ Meadows Road). Continue until you find the ‘Vivaio Crea’ on the right and 50 yards after, on the left, turn into Via dei SS Apostoli. Continue until you see a reassuring deep red/orange farmhouse to the right floating above a green sea of vineyards responsible for the pleasant red and white wines produced on premises.
The wine is stored in a ‘Grotta’ (cave), underneath the farmhouse, which maintains a constant temperature . The wine leaves a positive impression. Chemical fertilizers or pesticides are not used on the farm. This may mean that if you drink one glass too many, your brain will be clear, but your knees will not respond to any attempts to get up from the table.
Upon entering the restaurant, you’ll be greeted by Luca, a very tall guy with a smile as broad as his oversize shoes, or by his sister Simona, an apparently frail and delicate young lady who can jump on a tractor with nonchalance and plough for a couple of hours, or by her husband the talkative English-speaking Paolo, an Economist ex-VIP of the State Electricity Board (Enel).
The food: Two 'antipasti'(starters): a dish of Italian salami, Parma ham and extremely fresh ‘ricotta’ (twice cooked) sheep cheese; so fresh it is still sweet and warm from the shepard’s home, or the ‘frittini’ fried finger food. The frittini are not soggy nor ooze oil; they are light as a cloud – a bit like tempura. Most of these fried vegetables are from the farm's own orchard.
The first course allows for a choice between two types of pasta. Ask for an ‘assaggino’ (a little taste) of both. Sauces vary in accordance with seasons. If you’re lucky, ‘ravioli’ (egg pasta squares) filled with savoury pumpkin and chestnuts are sprinkled with a cream sauce and are available in autumn/winter; linguine (long pasta the size and shape of a flat shoelace) al ‘pesto’ in summer. ‘Pesto’ is an uncooked sauce made by mixing and blending, with a marble pestle and mortar, the small-leafed and very aromatic basil grown in Italy’s Liguria Region, garlic cloves, coarse salt, extra virgin olive oil and, according to taste, grated parmesan cheese or grana padano. When ready, the pasta is dumped in a salad bowl, the pesto poured on and served immediately..
The second courses also reflect the time of the year. At the time of writing (February 2010) a wild boar stew will be served, with its gamey taste almost unnoticeable after marinating the meat and cooking it with a selection of herbs (cook’s secret).’Involtini’ (rolled slices of veal) stuffed with creamy cheese are also on the menu as well as chicken cooked in ‘malvasia puntinata’ wine (red). God knows what summer will bring. Crisp and fresh lettuce from the orchard, fried potatoes (real spuds, not the dehydrated-reconsituted deep frozen variety), and grilled vegs accompany the main course.
And now, anyone belonging to the Club of Diabetics should avert their eyes. The kitchen hosts a Cordon Bleu chef specialising in cakes.The winning desert is a cylindrical dark chocolate sweet, one inch high and cooked in the oven. This maintains a creamy chocolate-inside which spreads out onto the plate as soon as a spoon is inserted into this marvellous creation.
Enough! Homemade biscuits and bread (three or four different types of both) complete the picture.
A mortgage is unnecessary. About 30 euro will be sufficient to pay for the meal. Advance booking on Saturdays and Sundays is a must. Meals are also served, occasionally, on Thursdays and Fridays..
