Star chefs in a magical setting: at the Spaltenna Castle

Articolo disponibile anche in: Italian

The Castello di Spaltenna, a convent from the year 1000 transformed into Tuscan Resort and Spa, can by found in Gaiole in Chianti.

Surrounded by Sangiovese vineyards, is the restaurant “Il Pievano”. Six dinners dedicated to high cuisine will take place in this magical location. Simone Fracassi from the restaurant, “Antica Macelleria” and Vincenzo Guarino, Executive Chef of “Il Pievano” will conduct the evenings, with dinners prepared by top chefs.

Here is the calendar of “Dining with the stars”: July 19 Gaetano Trovato from the “Ristorante Arnolfo” of Colle Val d’Elsa; August 15  Simone Fracassi of the “Antica Macelleria Fracassi” of Castel Focognano; August 29 Maurizio Bardotti of the “Ristorante il Colombaio” of Casole d’Elsa; September 18 Andrea Ribaldone of “Ristorante Due Buoi” of Alessandria; October 10 Nino Di Costanzo of “Ristorante Dani Maison” of Ischia.

October 27 there will be an exceptional closing dinner.  11 top chefs will be participating. The restaurants and their chefs are as follows: “Il Piccolo Principe”, Viareggio, Chef Giuseppe Mancini; “Il Pellicano”, Porto Ercole, Chef Sebastiano Lombardi; “Felix Lo Basso”, Milano, Chef Felice Lo Basso; “Butterfly”, Lucca, Chef Fabrizio Girasole; “Palazzo Petrucci”, Napoli, Chef Lino Scarallo; “Marennà”, Sorbo Serpico, Chef Paolo Barral; “Indaco”, Lacco Ameno Ischia, Chef Pasquale Palamaro; “Il Comandante”, Napoli, Chef Salvatore Bianco; “Le Trabe”, Paestum, Chef Giuseppe Stanzione;  “Mammà”, Capri, Chef Salvatore La Ragione; “Il Pievano”, Gaiole in Chianti, Chef Vincenzo Guarino; “Da Caino”, Montemerano, Chef Valeria Piccini.

Greeting the guests is Andrea Giubbilei, who has dedicated the last five years taking excellent care of the dining room and wine cellar. The restaurant is made up of two dining rooms, the “Sala dei Papi” and the “Sala degli Arazzi”, both characterized by precious antique furnishings and a breathtaking view of the hills.

The summer evenings will take place in the cloister, dominated by the suggestive atmosphere created by the antique bell tower of the “Pieve”.

Head of the “Il Pievano” kitchen since January, 2016, is Vincenzo Guarino, well-known Neapolitan chef with a strong attachment to Tuscany. We can see this in the menu, where Tuscan tradition, Neapolitan influence and international flavors mix to create a slightly daring cuisine: complex flavors which delight the palate. Only the best products are used, exalting a menu which aims for a constant dialogue among vegetable garden, sea, land and spices.

Says the chef, ”It seems simple, but at the base of my work is the season, the search for excellent local suppliers and the use of many vegetables. The fish arrives from Livorno three times a week. The excellent meat comes from the area’s best butchers. The vegetables, all of them seasonal, are produced in the Castle’s gardens, together with more than 100 types of aromatic herbs”.