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There’s the smoky taste of morels. Rabbit served with a fermented plum sauce that tastes heavenly. The ‘ravioli del plin’ stuffed with beef stracotto, and an incredibly soft and crunchy suckling pig belly.

We’ve enjoyed this and much more during the seven-course dinner served at Vitique on this December evening.

Vitique, located in Greti (near Greve in Chianti) brings to its elegant tables the modern creativity of chef Antonio Guerra.

We could say that an experience at Vitique is at once very special and exclusive (for the setting and the dishes) but also homely and welcoming.

Roberto, Dario, Antonio

Their attention to detail is clear in everything. Starting from the bread: semi-wholewheat, chestnut flour loaf and sage focaccia made with homemade yeast. Served at the table with DOP Chianti Classico olive oil and Normandy butter.

The meal is a feast of precision, elegance and creativity. Many adjectives come to mind while we eat cappelletti with galletti mushrooms, butter and sage. The welcome dish from the kitchen: egg pasta, sautéed in butter, served with a sage powder.

The most striking dish comes next.

Rabbit “alla cacciatora”, made according to a personal recipe by chef Antonio Guerra: slightly smoked rabbit (beaten with a knife), seasoned with oil, fermented plums – which are then sautéed with olive oil and basil, so that the taste recalls that of tomato sauce – sage and rosemary, dehydrated black olive crumble combined with ‘sabbiato’ bread with herbs and fried sage.

And then cuttlefish and morels: raw cuttlefish seasoned with salt, olive oil and lemon peel, disc of egg pasta, barbecued morels – the barbecue is often in use here at Vitique – and morel ragout.

Cold and hot, raw and cooked, freshness and softness. In a game of textures in which the cuttlefish feels like pasta on the palate.

And then a dish that is a perfect combination of the classic and contemporary: Ravioli del Plin, beef, pecorino cheese, bay leaves and truffle.

It’s heaven on a plate. Egg pasta filled with beef ‘stracotto’, gravy, pecorino cheese, bay powder and truffle. The pasta is served crunchy while the filling is melts in the mouth.

The next course is suckling pig, horseradish and finocchietto. The piglet belly has been cooked twice, first on the rind and then over the barbecue – we said it before, they love barbecue at Vitique – horseradish and finocchietto sauce, spicy mustard and radish salad, finocchietto.

Before small pastry and coffee, the dessert arrives: “da passeggio” as defined here by Vitique.

Brioche, eggnog and candied fruit. Pure lust. To be eaten with your hands (and at the table there are also hot wipes, soaked in bergamot water). A dessert that feels Christmassy and festive.

We’ve arrived at the end of this exceptional dinner. As we leave the restaurant, the Christmas lights are shining brightly like stars. And who knows, tomorrow, a Michelin Star could really be shining here.

Matteo Pucci

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