A new life begins for the gastronomy of San Giovanni which for years (here in particular for 13) has been a point of reference for good shopping even outside the confines of the neighborhood. Paolo, together with his sons Luca and Mattia and his wife Sandra, did an encore: in fact, alongside gastronomy, it exists today a bistro communicating with the resale where you eat and drink for lunch, aperitif and dinner. On the arch of the new room there is the logo of the house, the Greek Delta, the mathematical symbol of difference, with the laurel around it, the symbol of peace and victory of ancient Rome. On the menu are the selections from the counter plus the young woman’s dishes Micol Mariani with the consultancy of Emanuele Cozzo of “Bistrot 64”.
Pizzicaroli for three generations
«I was born inside my father’s shop. This work comes naturally to me: finding unknown gems from all over Italy, studying combinations with other excellent products, staying in contact with the public. But since the advent of large-scale distribution I thought that to continue our profession we had to “make a difference” and this is how our shop was born, designed and grown.” Speaking is Paolo, born in 1961, who was born and raised and learned the trade alongside his father Gilberto, founder of the resale founded in 1958 in via Tommaso da Celano as a “simple” delicatessen and has evolved over the years thanks to a continuous search for excellence throughout the national territory.
First behind the counter and then as a distributor for shopkeepers, Paolo acquired considerable knowledge by traveling the length and breadth of the country. And so, after the experience he had with his sister in a bakery-pastry shop, he decides to go back to his origins and set up the business that he has always felt was about him, with the aim of promoting niche products without commercial brands. Thus he was born in 2011 in via Magnagrecia La Differenza as we know it today, managed by Paolo and his wife with the third generation, Mattia and Luca, just over sixty years old between them.
The new venue: La Differenza
In addition to the renovation of the delicatessen, there was a doubling of the space with another adjacent space (which at the “right” time was for sale) communicating with the shop and used as a bistro. The portal that connects the areas was designed by the architect Alessandra Proietti, in charge of the works which lasted about a year, like a bridge, materials and colors recall nature (earth, green, copper), the lights are warm, the tables close , the counter and the open kitchen at the center of the scene. All for 24 seats in 40 square meters plus 6 seats at the bar counter, 4 at the counter overlooking the kitchen and 10 outside, in a “format” that is also suitable for private events.
What you eat and drink at Differenza
Micol Mariani works in the kitchena young chef with a good CV behind her, and the menu and offer are designed with the advice of the founder of Bistro 64 at the Flaminio, which in the summer will celebrate one year since its reopening after a long restyling. In the dining room are the entire family and Alessio Grieco, maître with important experience in various hotel facilities in Rome. The proposal, which varies weekly, is divided between “snacks” and “cuisine”, completed by the dishes of the day on the blackboard and different between lunch and dinner. No particular patterns, the dishes are not designed to be starters or main courses but rather tastings to share. There are no first courses but there is no shortage of bread from Triticum Micropanificio Agricolo, as well as platters of cured meats (San Daniele Zanini, pink salami, mortadella Bologna, culatello di Zibello Spigaroli etc.) and cheeses (goat’s milk made from pure raw milk, Montebore, gorgonzola creamed with Champagne, Perla di Ol Sciur, i.e. goat’s gorgonzola refined with rose petals and berries, white chocolate praline created by Paolo Stramaccioni himself).
The dishes are obviously the result of the synergy with the counter: beef tartare with natural gorgonzola and homemade brown stock; grilled and baked artichoke (coming from “La Differenza” brand preserves), pecorino romano DOP and liquorice powder; homemade giardiniera and burrata from Andria. Classic desserts, all homemade, such as zabaglione, pannacotta, tiramisu. The selection of wines includes around 200 natural and traditional labels, all small Italian, French, Spanish, German and Croatian producersas well as a small blend of great classics where the focus is on vermouths, such as the Italian “Controcorrente”, the first natural vermouth in Italy.
