Experience Italian Culture - Slow Living - True Italian Healthy & Organic Home Food Cooking & Wine

Home | Where we are | About us | b&b - Rooms |   Pre-Post Cruise Civitavecchia | A Day Cooking | Week Cooking  | Short Break Cooking | Family & Kids | Hiking & Cooking |  Hands-on Cookery |  No - Cooking stay 2011 | Wellness & Activities | Recipes |  "the past...& the pasta"

 

How to Order

 Order your signed copy  of "Fontana del Papa The past ...& the pasta"

cost of the book  15€

5,50€ postage to Europe

8,50€ postage to USA - Hong Kong - Abu Dhabi - Emirati Arabi -  Singapore - Cina

12€ postage to Australia - New Zealand - Guam - Tasmania

Please for order send us your mail address

Click here to purchase a signed copy.  Payment options include  paypal and bank transfer 

To order an e-book format copy  go to http://www.edizioniarcheoares.it/fontanadelpapa

Preface

Everyone in this world has a dream, or many dreams. But how many of these dreams are actually achieved? Fontana del Papa is the compelling story of an Italian family who could vividly see their dream and were willing to sacrifice almost everything in order to achieve it, only to find that they risked losing it all. Even if you have never had the opportunity to visit Italy, this story will endear you with the history of the beautiful Etruscan town of Tolfa; it will inspire you with the story of the restoration of the beautiful Fontana del Papa; it will anger you with the Italian governmental bureaucracy; it will sadden you with the story of a family fighting to stay as a family and fulfill their dreams; and you will cheer for those who appreciated the beauty of the dream and helped to save Fontana del Papa. There are no words to describe Fontana del Papa, the place that has become the Italian home away from home for many people around the world; and for Assuntina, Claudio, Luca, Emma and Andrea, the family that makes it the special place that it is. Here is a story to inspire all, and, for those who have visited Fontana del Papa, it is a story that only increases the beauty and uniqueness of this heaven on earth.

Laura Owen

I am pleased to call Assuntina Antonacci my friend. She has written a book about how she and her husband, Claudio Pierotti, came to own Fontana del Papa and it is an astounding story. If you have ever read “Under the Tuscan sun", or seen the movie, then you know how difficult it was for a foreigner to buy and restore an old home in Italy. Assuntina's story is so much more than that. There are so many challenges they had to overcome and the actual renovation of the property was the easiest part. For a local resident it is, at times, alarming what she and her family had to overcome in order to make their dream vision an unbelievable reality. As her story unfolds, you will find some gems of history, architecture, and old world ways that are still used today. And perhaps as I have done, you will begin a love affair of your own with Italy. I can see this as a great premise for a major film. I told her as much and suggested that George Clooney play the part of Claudio, even though the real main character and moving force in the story is Assuntina herself. I so enjoyed reading about how this slightly built dynamo of a woman took on not just the town of Tolfa but also the regional and "state" governments. What is even more enjoyable is visiting this unbelievable place. The beauty of this story is that Fontana del Papa actually exists.

Torre Newman, Washington, D.C.

 

Excerpt from Assuntina Antonacci’s

Fontana del Papa

The past ...& the pasta

       Home at Fontana del Papa

          Time has gone by the penal and administrative problems are now old stories, life has taken a regular course, the olive grove is luxuriant and rich with fruit, the garden blooms and gives us every sort of Nature’s gifts for our table. The wild orchids, the cyclamen and violets embroider the  fields of the chestnut grove in spring  and in autumn the porcini mushrooms go directly into the pan with parsley, garlic, wild fennel and our oil and the perfume of these natural ingredients invites everyone to the table.

          Every October we begin the olive harvest. The large   nets are laid under each tree and the compressor with the olive pickers is attached to Domè, the tractor as we call our faithful tractor. The olives that fall on the nets are put into well aired cases and that same evening are brought to the olive mill. The first phase is the removal of the leaves and then a careful washing. The milling, or crushing of the pulp and   pit, is followed by the gramolatura that mixes the pulp and pit separating into the water nearby. The mill man has many responsibilities; the temperature must stay low, the light should not arrive and he must be careful with the timing of the whole procedure. The last phase is the extraction of the oil   that can be done with a vertical press or by centrifugation. The oil is stored in steel drums in a dry place far from any light source.  Our oil is on the table by November every year!

          A short  stone path which in the past centuries brought   people up  from  Casal dè Frati  to the source of Fontana del Papa has been brought back to light and  uncovered   while other excavation works will be done in collaboration with the  Archeology Superintendent for Etruria.

           The lower land, which was famous for its high building index, has thus become the site for archeological digs. After an investigation by satellite and on the ground, many objects dating from prehistoric times, including the Copper Age have been found. The site dates from before the Etruscans, so life, past and present, continues at Fontana del Papa, the “golden triangle “of studies by archeologists. A mine, a paradise   in which our family, our children have become “History”.

          The Fontana del Papa   has become a home away from home   for a wide range of people from all parts of the world, so in reality the world has come to us.

          In every part of the world, in every faraway place there is someone who remembers us, our family, our home and the serene moments passed here together and chatting with Claudio about Italian wines. We can count thousands of friends from different cultures, of different colors and races spread all over the world.

          More than just the work we do with our guests with great passion, we have opened our hearts to hope. Each of them has a story, a culture different from ours. If only for a few days, they have become members of our family. Many of them are Italo- Americans who come to search their past roots, the far away memories of their grandparent who immigrated to American during the early 19th century and who never learned to speak the new language. They were proud people and although they brought with them suffering and poverty, they kept their family united.  The grandchildren were taken care of by the grandmothers who also taught them Italian, or an ancient dialect. Many of the guests still remember the dishes that their grandmothers cooked for them and ask to eat them again. It’s not difficult for these   poor and simple foods are our natural diet.  Ben wanted “macaroni”, Janet asked for “pasta e fasule”, Tricia insisted on “I fiori è cuguzza”.  No problem, for the kitchen garden is a triumph   in summer with these ingredients.

Joseph remembered how his grandmother called him, “Giuseppino mangia, mangia”.

          We cannot forget Joanna who came for two days and   stayed more than ten. She wanted to paint and she did. The third day much to our surprise, she began to speak a language that was incomprehensible, but familiar. What had happened? She was using the colorful Campanian dialect sprinkled with archaic terminology.  She just started to speak, and speak, but how could this be? She felt so much at home, in family, that she had returned to the time of her infancy.

          Her mother had immigrated to America at seventeen as had Joanna’s father, when he was eighteen. The father was a worker, the mother stayed home and had lots to do with the eleven children she brought into the world. Joanna was the youngest. Joanna’s mother never learned English and spoke to her children in her native tongue, the dialect of her homeland. The dialect had lost a bit of its vivacity and some of the words were twisted so the children grew up learning the mother’s language. Joanna learned English at school and had a hard time fitting in. Joanna’s mother died at 92 and right to the end she only spoke her ancient, mother tongue. Joanna is now a wealthy, important manager of a chain of hotels and with us she found again those   pleasant ancient memories of long ago.

          Dan instead remembered that when his father would hear him speaking in Italian, the language he learned from his grandmother, he would get a beating. His integration into the new society had to be quick and Italian was getting in the way. Yet Dan remembers with great tenderness and gratitude the grandmother who took care of him and prepared him pasta and gnocchi.

          And Linda, with her little Joseph, who searched for her roots and found them in Tolfa, at the house in Via Annibalcaro where her great grandmother Ofelia was born. 

And so many others. One by one we remember each one of our guests, each   with a different story.

          But this is another story, one that started with a project, a dream, the love for life and fraternity of all men in the world and that became a reality at our house, at Fontana del Papa.

            “An enchanted place where  I found  again the sense of silence in intense and long moments of serenity, the deep joy and laughing at nothing,  the fullness  of  the eyes   embracing   huge remote images, the heat and  joyful snap of the fire, the vital and solitary  murmur of running water. Dawn with its uncontrollable, violent colors that announce the day that is coming…and the stars, yes, I discovered that the night sky has stars, many, bright, vivid, not reachable but near me…” F.L.R.

Some recipes :

Spaghetti alla carbonara

Serve for 8/10

 Pasta alla carbonara (usually spaghetti) is an Italian pasta dish based on eggs, pecorino romano, guanciale, and black pepper. The dish was created in the middle of the 20th century

 4 slices of pig cheek (guanciale or pancetta if not available) - 1/4 inch thick - coarsely chopped

1 inch dried chili broken into small pieces

1/2 white onion - diced finely

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup marjoram - diced finely

4 eggs

Grated Parmesan - about 3 cups

1 lb. dried spaghetti

 Brown the pig cheek with the dried chili in a large pan over medium heat until pig is crispy.

Sauté the onion and marjoram in the olive oil over low heat until onion is translucent.

Add the onion mixture into the large pan and continue cooking over low heat.

Beat the eggs in a medium bowl.

Add parmesan a handful at a time until the egg and cheese pull away from the sides of the bowl, it will look somewhat like uncooked cornbread.

Cook pasta according to directions on box but cook one minute less than recommended on the box.

Quickly drain and toss with the pig cheek and herbs in the large pan to coat the pasta well.

Remove from heat.

Form a well in the pasta.

Pour the egg and cheese mixture into the well in the pasta.

Toss it all together until the parmesan melts, the egg cooks and forms a creamy sauce.

Zuppa di Lenticchie (Lentil Soup)

Serve for 8

3 garlic cloves – minced

2 carrots

Crushed red pepper (optional)

1 medium onion - minced

7 celery leaves (very green and lush) - chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cups chopped fresh tomato

2 medium potatoes - peeled and cut into half inch cubes

3 cups dried dark lentils - rinsed

3 quarts of water,

2 cups short grain rice uncooked

Olive oil for garnish

 Sauté the garlic, onion, and celery in olive oil, over medium heat, in a stock pot.

Put in remaining ingredients (except for the rice) and bring to a boil.

Add rice.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the ingredients and rice are cooked

Serve with additional olive oil drizzled on top.

Pollo alla Cacciatora

2 skinless drumsticks (per person)

 handful of fresh sage

sprigs of fresh rosemary

garlic cloves

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1 cup red or white wine

With a meat cleaver, chop off the nubby ends of the drumsticks and then chop in half.

Put the drumsticks and liberally sprinkle with salt in a non-stick pan and cook on medium heat for about five minutes

Meanwhile, with a wooden morter and pestle, grind the garlic, rosemary, and 1/4 cup of olive oil until it's chunky and pulpy.

Drain the water in the pan with the chicken and add 1/4 cup of the olive oil and the fresh sage. Stir the chicken around with two wooden spoons for the first few minutes so it doesn’t stick.

 Continue cooking for about five minutes. 

Add the rosemary mixture to the pan and let it simmer with the chicken for about five minutes. Add the wine red or white wine

Let the wine and rosemary mixture simmer together until liquid is silky and chicken is cooked through. 

Serve as a main course after pasta. 

Frittelle (sweet rice nibbles) 

Ingredients

· 200g (1 c) Arborio rice cooked

· 300g ricotta cheese

· 3 eggs whisked

· 3tablespoons sugar

· 300g raisins soaked for at least 1 hour in sambuca liqueur (alternatively use Amaretto Strega or Vermouth)

· 1 lemon, grated

· 100 g (3/4 c) plain flour

· 1 pinch vanilla flavored baking powder  

1. Mix all the ingredients together, setting aside a small amount of sugar and cinnamon to sprinkle over after cooking.

2. Take a spoonful of the mixture and fry in oil (sunflower) till browned.

3. Dry on a  paper towel before rolling in sugar and cinnamon.

4. Serve hot or cold

 Limoncello

·4 lemons (unwaxed) zest

· 1 glass 90 percent alcohol

· 400 g water

· 300g sugar  

1. Soak the zest of the lemons in the alcohol for a week.

2. Filter out the zest put the alcohol to one side and add the zest to a pan containing the water and sugar. Boil for 3-5 minutes.

3. Filter out the zest and discard it. 

4. Mix the remaining sugar mixture with the alcohol and transfer to a bottle.

5. Leave for two weeks to a month before drinking.

6. Serve cold  

 

Comments

- Loved reading the book and am so in awe of everything you and Claudio and your beautiful children went through to achieve your dream! - Naomi Veldt Dvorachek
----

Well, just to read the whole story is indeed amazing. You are an amazingly strong woman with a huge heart. Together you and Claudio have made a miracle with your hard work and great sense of business. Auguri on the National Graphic nomination, the book and Claudio's return to health. I miss all of you! I remember the second time ...I visited with Meg and it was raining so hard. The cops and town officials and surveyors were all over your property like ants. Everyone was under an umbrella. We went to lunch with Claudio in town and he was so upset. This is all behind you now. You deserve all good things. ....Victoria Burke

Recipes | Terms & Condition | Reservation Form | Feedback | Info on Rome & Etruria | Extra Virgin Olive Oil | Press & Media | Links | Contact

Fontana del Papa © 1998 - 2011 - 00059 Tolfa (Rome) Italy - Phone-fax (011) 0039 0766 93455;  mobile  +39 3925178425