LAZIO

In Lazio, when you think of tourism, the first thing that comes to mind is Rome and its millennium of history. The richness and variety offered throughout the region is frequently never considered. It includes mountainous areas in the province of Rieti, the litorale pontino coasts, the Roman countryside, the Lazio maremma countryside, Etruscan and Roman archaeological areas as well as abbeys and medieval castles all of which are steeped in the most prized wine and food traditions.

An itinerary in the Lazio region offers visitors the possibility to admire landscapes and very different environments without having to travel any distance. That is because this region is incredibly diverse in its natural and historical-artistic influences. To enjoy the flavours, nature art and history of Lazio, it is best to enter inland to enjoy the sites one by one, discovering the customs and the traditions of the people who live here and varying types of nature protected by a vast system of parks and reserves.

DON’T MISS THE FESTIVAL

The festival of San Giuseppe in Itri (LT)

St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters, is still honoured in many places in Lazio. One of these places is the tiny town of Itri, where the artisans still close their shops on the day dedicated to St. Joseph, March 19. Here a rite tied to pre-Christian rituals still exists: the lighting of the large bonfire. The origins of the rite date back to the worship of Vesta, the priestess who kept the flame alive without waning until the Calends of March, when a solemn ceremony took place to renew it. The fires that take place here and in other towns are not however related to the life of St. Joseph and they are included in the festival because it coincides with the start of spring.

THE FESTIVAL.  In the city of Itri on the night of March 19 everything bursts into flames with larger fires on the main streets and squares and smaller ones in the lanes and gardens. Setting up the wood begins twenty days before the event and it is done as a collective activity. In times past, families would traditionally offer their last wood to symbolize the end of winter.

When the evening ends the people all gather around the bonfire to eat pasta and chick peas together with zeppole fritters while the pipers, accordions and guitarists play traditional songs sung together with the public. It continues until the fires are put out and once the fire has been extinguished the children jump in to put out the ashes while hollering “Long live St. Joseph with all of the zeppole too”. Still today, some people continue the traditional right of saving the ashes from the bonfire to bless the homes and fields.
Even the tradition of distributing zeppole is tied to pagan cults: i.e. the breads are prepared on March 17, the day in which young Romans in ancient times would assume the white toga virilis at the end of their fourteenth year, and it is dedicated to Libero, the god of fecundity and harvest. A slice was offered to the god and the rest was eaten while singing and dancing. It was also tradition to offer fritters in honour of Silenus, the tutor of Bacchus, whose worship was transferred to the putative father of Jesus. Both interpretations demonstrate a connection to a rite of initiation tied to the arrival of spring.

THE WINES OF LAZIO

Beginning from the north, you will meet the zone that was historically referred to as Tuscia, the land of the ancient Etruscan people. In this area you will be able to taste great DOC wines like Aleatico di Gradoli, a red dessert wine that is great aged. Orvieto (which extends throughout northern Lazio) and the famous Est! Est!! Est!!! from Montefiascone, dry or sweetish, an ideal white for accompanying fresh water fish. Tarquinia and Cervetri are two great dinner wines and Vignanello is available in white, rosé and red: the last is particularly well suited to red meat and game.

Moving from Rome towards the east, you can purchase a bottle of Zagarolo bianco, a dry white that is pleasant and moderately alcoholic, along the road at one of the many local cantinas. Since you are near the capital, you should head to the true kingdom of wines in Lazio, the famous Castelli Romani. Here you can try medium strength wines with a large prevalence of white, and remember the many songs that have been dedicated to these wines and the slight intoxication they bring. Among the better known wines, try: Frascati (splendid in the Cannellino version which is a rarity these days), Marino, Colli Albani, Montecompatri, and Velletri. There are more wines in the southern areas of the region. In Frosinone try the Torre Ercolana, a dry red wine and the Cesanese del Piglio a red wine known since medieval times that is pleasant and not too alcoholic (reaching a maximum of 11/12 percent). In the province of Latina, there is a splendid sea together with the ruins of the Temple of Jupiter in Terracina, which is an absolute must. And with regard to the wines, accompany it with Falernum and Monte Giove.

THE FLAVOURS OF LAZIO

It is not easy being the region of Rome, with the only city in the world to have been an uninterrupted historical protagonist for three thousand years. And yet, "rustic" Lazio supports this weight marvellously, even at a gastronomic level. We can say that in this particular area, it set the rules in the august capital, where the original cuisine was based on the traditional products of the Roman countryside. The northern zones (Tuscia, Sabina) as well as the southern ones (Ciociaria, Agro Pontino) naturally feel the influx of the surrounding regions, with which they share at least part of the nature in the territory and the agricultural and farm products - as well as sharing some of the same dishes.

FIRST COURSES One of the most famous first courses in Roman cuisine comes from Upper Lazio and that is spaghetti, or even better bucatini all’amatriciana. In reality the original recipe came from Amatrice, a city in the province of Rieti, and it differs from the Roman one by excluding the tomato from the topping, which is based on pork and pecorino cheese. Though they are no longer a part of daily cuisine, gnocchi alla romana, use flour or semolina dough with eggs, grated cheese and milk instead of the usual gnocchi dough made from flour and potatoes. The disks are made around an inch high and they are placed in a pan, buttered and sprinkled with parmesan before being broiled to a crispy golden brown. One of the favourite soups for starting off holiday dinners is, stracciatella, which is made from scrambled egg, parmesan cheese, lemon juice and zest, nutmeg and a bit of flour or semolina, which is all mixed and stirred into the broth where it separates into ragged bits as the name in Italian indicates. A traditional favourite in Viterbo, which is rich with chestnut orchards is the zuppa di castagne e ceci. This chestnut and chickpea soup is flavoured with rosemary, celery, garlic and hot pepper and served with slices of dry bread. Lagne or pezzole con fagioli, are offered in many different areas. Both of these odd-shaped pasta made from a simple water and flour dough (today they also use eggs) can be cooked together with beans, pork skin or ham fat, garlic, onion, rosemary and other herbs. Only in the countryside will  you find vignarola, which is a spring dish made from artichokes, peas, fava beans, and bacon, in two versions: in a soupy broth or dry as a side dish. There are also two versions of the classic minestra con i broccoli, a broccoli soup with either a “battuto” garnish made from crushed garlic, onion, carrot, celery and lard and extended with a meat, and the other with beef broth, a sauté of oil, garlic, anchovy filets, wine, parsley and tomato, which is put together with a broth made from “arzilla” which is the Roman word for stingray.

SECOND COURSES  Among the fish soups from the towns on the Lazio coast, in Civitavecchia, beyond the classic ingredients, they add a generous dose of dry red wine. Fish is frequently added to vegetables such as anchovies with endive, layered and topped with olive oil and browned in the oven and in the cariole with peas, small eels are cooked in a sauce and covered with parsley. Beyond the hearty “fifth quarter” dishes mentioned above, a favourite is abbacchio or suckling lamb, which is a traditional product in Lazio, cooked in different ways and roasted with rosemary and potatoes as well as being served in a hearty stew ‘alla cacciatore,’ in a sauce with potatoes, or “brodettato” fricasseed (in this case the more delicate suckling goat is preferable). An absolutely worthy mention goes to the simple yet refined saltimbocca alla romana, which are slices of veal skewered together with slices of ham and sage leaves, which may be floured and cooked in butter.

DESSERTS  The desserts are similar to central and southern Italian specialties including the cicerchiata from Rieti: balls made from a dough of flour and eggs and fried and later stacked together with honey, candied fruit, almonds, and sweetmeats to assume a determined shape. Another common specialty are the castagnole, which are traditional carnival desserts that date back to recipes from the seventeenth century made from a leavened dough that is flavoured with marsala wine or liqueur. They puff up slightly during cooking and at the end are dusted with sugar and covered in honey.