The Tuscia area
			What there is to do
			»	Relaxing in Castel Cellesi
			»	A week stay in Castel Cellesi
			»	The Spa - Terme di Viterbo
			»	Beaches of Lake Bolsena
			»	A day in Umbria
			»	A day in Florence
			»	Etruscan Itinerary
			»	A day in Tarquinia
			»	The Archeological area
			»	Walking & Trekking
			»	Food & Wine experience
			»	Events & Festivals
			What we can do for you
			Our Accommodation
			How much it costs

• Italian Village Vacation Castel Cellesi

Guests Impressions

"In Castel Cellesi I had one of my most beautiful and relaxing vacations. Peace and quiet, beautiful surrounds and great accommodation, really made it."
Julie Robinson, London England

"Thank you for your hospitality and for fulfilling every and all of our wishes. I and my family really enjoyed our vacation. See you next year same date."
Patricia Millar, Cleveland (USA)

"For elderly people like me and my husband this is like a real little paradise. We warmly recommend anyone to come and stay."
Mary McCaib, Toronto (Canada)

"A vacation in Castel Cellesi is an unforgettable experience! I couldn’t get over the friendly locals, and of course the food... Wonderful. Thank you so much."
David Wyse, Sevenoaks England

"Coming from Finland one of the most important considerations for me was good weather and comfortable accommodation. I found this and more in Castel Cellesi. To my surprise I found Finnish spoken in the village! Well done."
Jorma Jyrkilä, Finland

Food & Wine experience

The Cuisine

First of all, we must make sure we have a bottle of extra virgin olive oil on the table which we will use in preparing bruschette (toasted bread garnished in a variety of ways) of a thousand different colours and flavours. Acquacotta is the name of the typical local soup prepared with chicory, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, hot pepper, dried cod, dry bread and olive oil.

Other typical soups of the local cuisine are made with mushrooms, legumes, chestnuts, lake fish (sbroscia) and lamb. For a delicious first course, try rice and lentils, pasta and potatoes, rice and chicory, peas with quadrucci (small squares of hand made egg pasta) and “minestrone alla Viterbese”.

Favourite pasta dishes include maccheroni, ceciliani (which are made in the town of Canepina) lombrichelli (made with only flour and water), potato gnocchi, fettuccine, pappardelle, gavinelle (a specialty of Carbognano) or polenta.

These may be served with a classic ragout (meat sauce) or with a variety of other sauces prepared with hare, wild boar, mushrooms, spare ribs and pork sausages (especially polenta) or, in summer, with fresh garden vegetables such as: zucchini, eggplant, turnip greens, sweet peppers and others.

Other pasta dishes we recommend: spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino (made with garlic, olive oil and hot pepper) or spaghetti cacio e pepe (another classic pasta dish made with Roman pecorino cheese and black pepper).

For the main course, choose from among many delicious meat dishes: rabbit alla cacciatora, stewed chicken with tomatoes, wild boar with tomato sauce, stewed hare, baked lamb, tripe with tomato sauce, fried coratella (veal intestines), roasted pork or pignattaccia (a stew made with meat and vegetables). Main fish dishes, prepared with lake fish, include: fried perch fillets, stewed eels, fried lattarini, stewed or fried pike, baked or grilled whitefish.

Local sea food dishes are a little less renowned as they are the same ones common to many areas, especially since fish nowadays can be easily and rapidly transported everywhere. There is a variety of sheep cheeses, ranging from fresh cream cheese to ripe, aged cheeses, and also fresh ricotta and piquant Roman pecorino.

For dessert: sweet ravioli made with ricotta, ciambellone (simple white cakes), tarts made with ricotta or jam, crunchy biscuits and cookies made with hazelnuts, fritters made with rice (for the feast of St. Joseph), pangiallo and maccheroni made with walnuts (at Christmastime). For Easter, special yeast cakes, the celebrated “amaretti” or almond cookies of Blera, other biscuits and cookies made with the famous wine of Tuscia.

The Wine Route

The Regione Lazio, in order to increase the economical, agricultural and tourist resorces of its territory created this enogastronomic itinerary. The territory was divided into three zones, which represent the zones of production of the D.O.C. wines of Alta Tuscia. The zones are:

• Est! Est! Est! (Montefiascone, Marta, Capodimonte, Bolsena).
• Aleatico (Gradoli, Valentano, Onano, Proceno, Latera, Acquapendente, San Lorenzo, Grotte di Castro.
• Orvieto (Castiglione, Lubriano, Bagnoregio, Civitella, Graffignano.

There is a nice legend about Montefiascone’s wine called Est! Est! Est! (which can also be found on its wine labels): the story tells of a German prelate Giovanni Defuk travelling from Germany to Rome along the Via francigena. As he was great lover of wine, he sent his servant ahead to taste and to locate the town where the wine was to his liking - writing Est (latin, there is) on the gate to each of these towns.

The servant was so satisfied (or inebriated) with Montefiascone’s wine that he wrote Est! Est! Est! on the gate to the town. Defuk remained in Montefiascone for the rest of his life imbibing the local product. His tomb can be found in the left nave in the church of San Flaviano.