Lunch in the Castelli Romani {Hosteria Amedeo}

Just outside of Rome is a series of cool, green, villages that are collectively referred to as the Castelli Romani. Here you will find volcanic lakes and Roman ruins and miles of vineyards that produce DOC wines. 

Earlier this summer I was invited to lunch at Hosteria Amedeo, in the town of Monte Porzio Catone. Winding through the country roads it is difficult to imagine that this bucolic setting is only about an hour away from Rome. 

We sat under a shady pergola with views of the olive groves, enjoying the cool breeze, sipping flutes of prosecco, while we learned about the long history of this family restaurant from Emanuele, the grandson of the eponymous Amadeo.  

As this is a historic, family-run trattoria I was expecting rustic Roman cuisine. While the setting is simple, the food and its presentation are sophisticated and still predominantly Roman but with influences from other Italian regions. The wine list is thoughtful and filled with interesting smaller producers. 

We sampled house baked piazza bianca stuffed with sweet sticky figs and salty slices of prosciutto, battered and deep-fried sage leaves, and anchovies from Cetara paired with creamy butter on chunks of crusty bread. There was a thin rectangle of baccala mantecato dusted with crushed Sicilian pistachios. 

There was a swirl of spaghetti topped with a fresh zucchini flower that tasted of summer. The Trippa Romana is presented in individual pan and was impossibly tender and the fresh wild mint made this traditional heavy dish new and light. The last dish to try was a slow cooked rabbit with a sweet jammy tomato sauce.

The dessert selection is as rich in history and varied in theme as the main menu including both a traditional tiramisu to one made with pistachios that was extraordinary. 

If you want the pleasure of a day in the country without packing a suitcase I suggest that you head for the hills and have a meal at Hosteria Amadeo. 

Hosteria Amedeo
Via Montecompatri 31Monte Porzio Catone 

+39 06 943 41163

Closed Mondays