Assisi has a whispered charm that goes beyond the pure and simple idea of spirituality. Shops saturated with warm-toned ceramics, striking chiaroscuro in the centuries-old basements, groups of tourists impressed by the infinity of rosaries and crosses to take away; beyond the sacred tout court, faith is growing in the gastronomic potential of an Umbria that has never been so up-to-date, dictating trends from the speedy bite to the slow menu. Here, then, the religious pilgrimage gives way to the enjoyable one, on the path of a sinless temptation to which one becomes accustomed all too easily. In this modern fresco the Fontebella Palace Hotel he could rest comfortably on his laurels, yet he chose not to.
Try to imagine a noble palace that brings together three different eras in the same building: the Roman one downstairs, the medieval one upstairs and the sinuous splendor of the Renaissance at the top. Here you dream, slipping straight into history, time machine style, and you wake up with a real picture framed by the curtains of the suite, where a dense zigzag of hills and bastions outlines the perimeter of the city of San Francesco.
The range of hotel attractions, however, only blossoms in the evening, inside a place which, when seen, is the perfect synthesis between a contemporary art expo and a lens-friendly viewing point. Let’s talk about Oil mill, evolutionary mirror of Assisi that advances. An internal sign free of dogmas, where you will not find Umbrian evergreens flaunted like amulets. In reverse, during the meal the region opens up to a complete Italianness, from southern sauces to the pantry of the central Peninsula, framing native excellences from another angle.
The “speaking” name dispels any doubts, since the oil (or rather, the oils: with the blends there are 20 different types) has a high specific weight in each dish on the menu: more than triggering elementary additions, it multiplies the value of the ingredients in a continuous upward game. The result is just as many ups and downs of intensity, managed with a firm hand by the new chef Gabriele Mattiacci, who has just taken over from the previous executive Lorenzo Cantoni. And it is precisely thanks to the agreement with Elena Angeletti, owner of the complex with a solid family background in Umbrian hospitality, that Gabriele has now set off towards the definition of a personal style, ready to carve out wide margins for his story.
The restaurant
Works everywhere, we were saying, painting the dark walls with bright touches: you will eat between one reproduction and another of Andy Warhol, reviewing the scale of neon icons of pop art. On the other hand, oil remains the guest of honor; you can sense it from the moment you arrive, with real olive leaves integrated into the design of the tables, for a naturalism that refreshes the eye in tune with the welcome. So the bread with a strong crust, the result of the spontaneous fermentation of apples and lentils for 50 hours, ends up immediately – and on several occasions – in the Frantoio DOP oil made by the same owner Elena Angeletti, offering a “craving” sauce in its authenticity; or, the hunger-busting snack in the form of fake peanut, with a completely liquid coreunlocks the memory of the pickled olives which are the basis of the cooking “trick”.
“The goal is to use a processed and sublimated oil with different degrees of processing”, explains Gabriele, born in ’97, the enthusiasm that transpires from the ideas.”Not the usual addition during cooking or on the way out, but rather the pivot around which the recipes revolve.” So a sort of fil d’or, from condiment to food. This is confirmed by the title assigned to Oil mill for two consecutive years- of Best Italian oil restaurant 2022-2023 by the Rome Oil City Association. Today the menu crosses plural North-South routes, dusting off ancient uses with fresh ideas of the day. The wine catalog follows closely, represented by 400 local labels and various worldwide gems, where the focus is often on local micro-companies. To stay in the area, ask for a glass of Donna Elenathe family reference: among the 3 bottles present, we were particularly impressed Imprint, which fuses journey and identity through the union of Sagrantino and Sangiovese on one side, Syrah and Merlot on the other. A casual pairing, as well as synchronized with the two menus -,”Gabriele interprets Umbria” and “Between past certainties and a look to the future“-completes the strategic asset of the path that the chef has just undertaken.
The dishes
At first they will be small impulses: the nuggets of oil in the hummus with fried gnocchi or the creamy olive in the taco with fresh tomato tartare. Then, however, thereGreen gold gains ground with every taste. Opposites attract in Beef steak, where the delicate meat is a neutral meeting point between beetroot and coffee. “Two elements that come together like husband and wife, one earthy and sweetish, the other pungent; to strengthen the bond, a gin treated in combination with our oil until all the scents are extracted”, Gabriele comments. So the latter is there, but does not appear: the essential invisible to the eyes. Except that the feast of aromas also welcomes a lovage Mayo (sort of “wild celery” coming from the renowned cultivations of The Clarice of Cannara), which in closing further expands the botanical nuances of the dish.
Sweetbreads and Romanesco broccoli? Yes, the chef wanted them as part of the team. To the Oil mill, however, speak 100% Umbrian: those who live on Capitoline memories will discover them together with an unexpected carbohydrate. “In essence, starting from the ‘poor’ ingredient of offal I fully develop the theme of recovery cuisine. Because the wisdom with which the waste is processed is a noble art”. Hence the intuition to combine it with polenta, another popular insert -“often proposed, in these parts, with sausages in sauce“- made precious by a wafer to crunch up the bite. The rustic dish that changes its look, finally turning to the rich tones of the beef stock, to concentrate the beef juices.
Back, the vegetable doesn’t look bad, on the contrary. We find it in the most expressive creation of the dinner, which disarms the protein with a full-vegetable slash. This is the Roman-style artichoke, emulsion of its stem, pecorino cheese and fried yolk. When cooking, no garlic or wine: “I’m interested in emphasizing the absolute material, tickling the memory with the classic mint-parsley duet and banishing excessive smells”. The prince is the toasted artichoke, cooked in the broth of the leaves -“never throw them away“- and also present in cream with the support of Jerusalem artichoke, “his close relative“. Practically cubed cynarin, with a multifaceted bitterness that changes tone with every bite. Caress the melting yolk, breaded and fried for less than a minute, on your jaw.
Four varieties of tomato summarized by Spaghetti with basil powder and oil (also with tomato), for an energizing breath of the South. “In addition to the topping, the leaf serves to green the sauce, enriched by an oil butter with pleasantly fatty and herbaceous notes. I chose Giulio Mannelli’s Ascolana monocultivar, which takes up the two pillars of pasta and evokes the tomato leaf”. The result is an Italy seen from above: extra virgin olive oil, once again, smoothes borders and connects regions.
Recurring motif that returns in Saffron risottotopped with a curious Genoese “Umbrian style”: “For me, Neapolitan ragù gives back a strong sense of warmth and family. By replacing pork with lamb, it becomes a common heritage: different but the same in concept.”
The pigeon is a must, even if served with a “side dish” which isn’t much of a side dish: it has the makings of the star, the cold chard, capable of keeping up in length with the strong aftertaste of the meat. “I wanted it to at the same time recall its ferrousness and balance its smokiness, focusing on thermal contrast to create movement”, explains the chef. Placed whole on the barbecue over low heat, the bird is then deboned to finish the breast only on the skin side. Inside it remains blood, that cheeky blood that is tempting. Next to the raw fillet and lastly the bottom of the carcasses.
Ice cream on a stick for dessert, why not? It’s exactly the ending you don’t expect after the theatricality of the second. And instead he arrives, a variegated hazelnut and toffee sauce (lightened, however, in the composition) with a heart of raspberries and a salad of the same fruit. Ad hoc acidity, sugars in small doses. And a veil of mystery to invite us to return: “We also have a dessert ‘Bread and oil‘”.
Ribelle, the award-winning street food of Assisi
Did you think it was over? “Mbear speedy and slow menu“, we wrote a few lines further. Well, yes, the tour of Assisi cannot be said to be complete without a lunch-stop from Rebel, authentic branch of the “Angeletti restaurant centre” not far from Piazza del Comune. You have been warned: the place is small and its fame precedes it, given the award of Best regional street food for Gambero Rosso. However, the assortment of sandwiches is worth the queue: to distinguish them from the indistinct mass of “copy and paste” street food, a healthy mania for research into the right bread-sauce combinations (and proportions), always studied by Gabriele Mattiacci, as well as the use of local ingredients and personalized beers developed with a top-quality Umbrian brewery.
In the rare moments of break from service, Diego, mind and master of the brand with a large fan base also on social media, will give you delicious anecdotes on cooking the pork shoulder flavored with herbs for 38 hours, used as a filling for the Pork, or on the fish alchemy of Fish, with stewed cod, tomato sauce, raisins, olives and salad. Our favorite remains, however, Truffles: a soft marinated veal with truffles and mushrooms – because guilty pleasure, when it arrives, must be indulged without hesitation.
Contacts
Il Frantoio -Fontebella Palace Hotel
Via Fontebella, 25, 06081 Assisi PG
Telephone: 075 812242
Website
