Olivella Garden in Frascati. In the heart of the Castelli Romani, a July 2021was born GOlivella gardenright inside theOlivella farm Of Frascati. A project that took shape thanks to the idea, which arose in 2020 after the blow suffered by the Covid-19 emergency, of uniting the Kitchen of the restaurant in Albano la Above Gallerywith the experience in events of Magnolia Events. All this, carrying forward the philosophy of the Frascanian farm that hosts it, through agastronomic experience linked to the territory.
Open from Thursday to Sunday, at the Giardino l’Olivella, you go for theaperitifbut also for tastingsthe dinners in the vineyard and lunches in style picnic. Leading this project, Andrea Carfagnatogether with his brother Claudiopartners of the Albano restaurant and respectively restaurant manager and chef of the Olivella restaurant, with several years of experience in the sector.
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The environment
Surrounded by Frascati countrysidethe L’Olivella Garden is a bucolic place with a great atmosphere, in which to enjoy landscape and nature Between flavor and conviviality. In the terraced gardenwhich overlooks the farm’s vineyard, a tensile structure characterizes the space that allows you to enjoy theaperitif with the sunset over Rome. The large external area is exploited at 360 degrees. In fact, the dinners among the rows of vines they are the flagship of Olivella, which also allows you to organize events and ceremonies directly in the vineyard. “The Garden is shaped according to needs. It can be done thanks to the spaces, trying to keep the level of quality. In three years we have built something we are proud of, thanks to a beautiful collaboration.” Andrea Carfagna, who orchestrates the garden, tells us that he is an accountant, “lent to the for years now catering for passion“.
“We have also re-established 12 km of walkway among the vineyards, to be enjoyed on foot, mountain bike and on horseback. We organize some green daysin which we accompany guests on walks and bring them back here for an aperitif/dinner”. Andrea guides us through a tour of the company, taking us towards the internal room of the restaurant. Warm and welcoming with wooden furnishings and a fireplace to characterize the environment, where large windows let the eye fall towards the vineyard. Adjacent to the internal room, a Veranda and heated outdoor area to complete the restaurant spaces. The tour ends in the farm’s caves dug into the tuff. “The caves were born from bombings; they came to hide here during the Second World War.” ORToday they are used for the refinement of the winebut they also hosted a contemporary art projectwhich saw an exhibition displaying works by artists.
The gastronomic offer and the raw materials
“L’gastronomic offer is focused almost entirely on region and we involved the best producers in the area. Come on dairies closer to the producers of hand made pasta by Zagarolo, the Wonders in pasta. We have tried to involve small local farmers and we try to produce our own fruit and vegetables as much as possible.” Attention towards the use of local raw materials it is fundamental to the Olivella Garden. We aim for authenticity of the products, which often come directly from the same farm. “Cooking is an act of love towards the territory. The partners with whom we collaborate send us the passion and care for raw materials“.
The restaurant menu, developed by chef Claudio Carfagna, favors seasonalityenhancing the history of the territorythanks also to the network of trusted suppliers. Fruits and vegetables that do not self-produce come from Frascati from Patrizia and Toni’s shop since 1970. From The Circle come the herbs used in cooking and from the Depau agricultural company in Grottaferrata cheeses processed only with sheep’s milk. Other excellent products are from the Coccia Sesto cured meat factory in Viterbo to enhance and promote the Tuscia area, while the meats are selected by the Galli Group.
What you eat at Giardino l’Olivella
The menu at Giardino l’Olivella changes approximately every month, following the rhythm of the seasons. A cuisine linked to tradition Roman, with dishes sometimes revisited in a fresher key, always aimed at enhancing the ingredients. We start from the aperitif with platter of cold cuts and cheeses with focaccia (28 euros for two), or a selection of fried and non-fried treats (15 euros). Moving on to dinner, among the appetizers can’t miss it Homemade focaccia with porchetta marinated in white wine and red turnip mayonnaise (8 euros), or the rustic courgette cake and savory zabaglione (7 euros).
Between first deserve a mention i ravioli filled with ricotta, lemon and mint with sautéed asparagus cream and buffalo stracciata (15 euros), and fettuccine with white veal ragout, citrus ricotta and mirepoix of celery, carrots and courgettes (14 euros). Let’s move on to seconds with the aubergine steak with roasted tomato sauce, courgette cream and parmesan fondue (16 euros) and the veal roast beef with red fruit sauce, flavored mayonnaise, ham powder and crunchy sage (18 euros). On the menu you can also find dishes made in combination with their wines, such as the beef cheek stewed with 40/60. Also worth trying are the desserts, such as the tart with strawberry compote and basil (7 euros) or the crumbled with chocolate mousse and toasted hazelnuts (8 euros).
What do you drink at Giardino l’Olivella
At the Giardino l’Olivella the wines of the farm are mainly drunk, demonstrating the common thread that links territoriality, raw materials and people. However, a small one is not missing wine list. The Olivella agricultural company, founded in 1986, was a pioneer of organic cultivation. Furthermore, the volcanic soil of Frascati lends itself well to production winemaking and at Olivella the rows of Cesanese, Malvasia Puntinata, Bombino and Malvasia di Candia lead to the production of three White wines (one single-variety Bombino, one Frascati DOC and one produced with Viognier and Bellone grapes) and four red, with the Cesanese area as the lowest common denominator. Instead, to accompany the aperitif, in addition to wines, it is possible to choose from the selection of cocktail (8-9 euros).
Periodically, at the Olivella Garden, the Wine Talksroutes dedicated tofood-wine pairingheld by Andrea Carfagna, with tasting plus aperitif (25 euros).
Olivella Garden. Via Colle Pisano, 5 Frascati (RM). Website. Facebook. Instagram
