SPRING FESTIVAL FOOD AND CULTURE IN FRANCIACORTA At Villa Calini

Sunday 17 March, from 12pm, the chef Alessandro Cappotto, 'landlord' famous for his recipes 'from the garden to the table' (his vegetable garden, in the garden of the Villa), and the guest chef Giovanni Guarneri, Sicilian, owner of the famous 'Don Camillo' in the historic center of Ortigia, in Syracuse, will perform in the exclusive “Siracusa-Rome-Franciacorta” menu (€75). Both award-winning and sommeliers, 54-year-old Cappotto and 61-year-old Guarneri, will team up to offer a menu between land and sea, full of new and surprising flavours. Guarneri introduces himself like this: " Already in 1989 the prestigious Michelin guide highlighted Don Camillo's cuisine and followed by all the most important guides L'Espresso, Gambero Rosso, Veronelli, Slow Food, Touring Club, Panorama, Accademia italiana della Cucina (prize Buona Cucina 1997 and Silver Plate). Today all the guides that talk about Syracuse mention Don Camillo and his cuisine. In 1999 the newly created Gambero Rosso Channel thematic television dedicated an episode of the program profiles of the Great Chefs to me and since then the invitations from the great national and international televisions have been constant. Programs such as Linea blu on Rai 1, Linea Verde Rai 1, Pianeta Mare Rete 4, In Famiglia Rai 2, La vita in Diretta Rai 1, le cucina d'Italia Gambero Rosso, Tutto in un weekend Discovery Channel, and television programs Japanese, French, German, Canadian, Czech.

They also regularly invite me to large gastronomic events, such as Cheese, Salone del Gusto, Terra Madre, Balsamic Taste, Coquina, etc. for gastronomic workshops, themed discussions, dinners, prizes or as an ambassador for local products such as the Syracuse lemon of which I am the first ambassador.

In 2002, with a group of colleagues, I was among the founders of "Le Soste di Ulisse", today a point of reference for Sicilian cuisine. In 2002 I won first prize in the competition for the best cheese trolley in Italy (CASEUS), presenting only Sicilian raw milk cheeses, almost all of which were then almost unknown, with personal combinations created for each individual cheese. Furthermore, as an AIS professional sommelier since 2002, in 2006 in the competition for the best wine list for FIPE restaurants at MiWine I obtained second prize after a tie-breaker with the first place by just one point. Numerous lectures in Italy and abroad ”.

In 2015, on the thirtieth anniversary of the restaurant founded by Guarneri senior, the book “Cu mancia fa Muddichi” recounted his son Giovanni's thirty years of profession.

Cappotto, Roman by origin and Brescia by adoption, is the 'philosopher chef' with 40 years of study, teaching (also in Cast Alimenti) and important experiences in Italy and internationally, to the point of giving life to the gourmet restaurant Villa Calini, among the most attractions of the Brescia area, also for events such as weddings, ceremonies and anniversaries. On March 31st the restaurant will be among the protagonists of Edoardo Raspelli's program “O Anche No” at 10.15 am on RAI 3. Gold medal in the national competition for the best restaurant pastry shop in '97 and Silver medal in the regional competition for buffet dishes in '98, Cappotto has also received numerous awards for his expertise in the wine world and for Extra Virgin Olive Oil and raw materials in general, to the selection of which he dedicates total attention in the search for authenticity , and for his extraordinary ability to create valuable food and wine combinations . The result is a unique cuisine, of vegetarian or macrobiotic inspiration, but with a " reconsideration of the essential " using products from fish to livestock, from agriculture to wild cultivation; the recipes are typically Mediterranean, new, simple, but not minimalist, for the pleasure of the palate and the well-being of the body, with the utmost attention to detail and mise en place, in an elegant and relaxing environment. From bread to breadsticks, from jams to pastry options, at Villa Calini everything is 'homemade'. Sprouts, aromatic herbs and flowers, picked directly from the Villa's 'secret' orchardists, are the secret that makes the dishes and also certain precious desserts and liqueurs of Chef Cappotto unique. Cappotto and Guarneri, therefore faithful to the Italian identity , both committed with full awareness of their role for the tourism of the area, participate in the Franciacorta Festival with the same enthusiasm. Here is the menu: Finger food to start, then carpaccetto of veal, tuna and capers, fried creamed cod, Puntarelle and anchovies, legume soup with herbs from the Villa Calini garden. To follow: Black roll with scampi in sea urchin sauce, creamed risotto with Brescian formaggella, loertis and pestoem. Since 1986 Spaghetti delle Sirene with prawns and sea urchins Soft but crunchy pheasant breast with celeriac cream and green apple Fruit and vegetable pre-dessert with gin and pepper sorbet, “Oltre la Don Camillo” Pistachios, Chocolate and Oranges Paired with: Satèn Franciacorta brut Franciacorta rosé brut Franciacorta zero dosage For reservations: tel 0307243574 Villa Calini welcomes customers in the refined rooms and in the well-kept outdoor gardens dedicated to the restaurant. Collected and 'family-friendly' those for brunches, lunches and dinners, barbecues in the garden, with tables of 4, maximum 8 people per room; large, airy and elegantly functional indoor and outdoor spaces, for business meetings, meetings, vernissages, business lunches, weddings and moments of conviviality in general (with a capacity of up to 270 people) for a total of 5 thousand square meters available. The cinematic berseaux of perennial Canadian vine lends itself to charming wedding parties complete with a (civil) rite in the (consecrated) Chapel which is part of the complex.

THE DECALOGUE OF ALESSANDRO CAPPOTTO A KITCHEN

1. 1 Approach cooking with respect for raw materials, considering the nutritional value and organoleptic characteristics of foods

2. 2 No to unnecessary complications and yes to the rediscovery of beauty in simplicity

3. 2 Cook only the best that the market offers at that given moment

4. 3 Cook according to the seasons

5. 4 Drastically reduce cooking times, prefer low temperature cooking

6. 5 Return to local cuisine with local products

7. 6 However, also take inspiration with curiosity from avant-garde techniques and foreign cuisines

8. 7 Yes to low-fat cuisine

9. 8 Cultivate the art and taste of introducing new ingredients by experimenting with new combinations

10. 9 Cook by treasuring tradition and the experiences of the great chefs of the past with humility

10 Always innovate presentations, paying particular attention to colors and aesthetics TECHNICAL DATA SHEET OF SERVICES Space used as a restaurant Internal, tables for 4, maximum 10 people per room on 500 m2 Outdoors, capacity of up to 270 people on 2000 m2