The new Evo Bistrot with Centumbrie bears the signature of 2-star Michelin chef, Gennaro Esposito: A fusion of Southern Italian seafood cuisine with the grand Umbrian tradition, catering to both gourmets and the general public.
Evo Bistrot photo by: @Alberto Blasetti
Centumbrie is a youthful project led by young individuals, a narrative of Umbria that you wouldn't expect and its excellences. Agriculture, olive mill, winery, mill, bakery and pastry lab, tavern, bistrot, and hospitality, with marvelous luxury villas immersed in the green Umbrian landscape, amidst the hills and scenic views of Lake Trasimeno. All focused on quality, sustainability, innovation, and history, merged into an idea of design, care, and beauty.
And now, it opens the doors of its new Evo Bistrot, the latest project from Centumbrie representing a unique addition to Umbrian (and beyond) dining. The Evo Bistrot by Centumbrie stems from a major restyling of the previous spaces (both in the dining area and the kitchen) and stylishly introduces the new direction led by Michelin-starred chef Gennaro Esposito. A unique place, with great style and a strong personality, seamlessly combining gourmet cuisine with popular tradition, merging the Southern sea with Umbrian land enogastronomy, giving life to unusual and surprising contaminations.
THE NEW EVO BISTROT BY CENTUMBRIE, CURATED BY GENNARO ESPOSITO
The partnership between Gennaro Esposito and Centumbrie is a marriage born out of a genuine professional affection, involving the Cinaglia Menicucci family – represented by Miriam Cinaglia, the company's frontwoman – and the chef. It's a long-term project, a shared vision that starts from the values of the land and looks towards the future with great modernity.
"I envision the Centumbrie project as a key that allows me to enter this marvelous territory, made up of extraordinary people, artisans, and, above all, visions. It goes through the realm of gastronomy but begins with the land, oil, agriculture, wheat, cereals, and legumes. We are trying to build a visionary yet practical establishment that draws from the local resources and has firm roots in the products of this wonderful area of Italy. So, for me, it will be an ongoing workshop of experiences and learning because I believe that great projects are those where everyone brings something, but when they return home, they are enriched by the project itself," declares Chef Gennaro Esposito.
"Campania and Umbria, two regions with a strong connection to the land, meet here at Centumbrie, giving birth to something truly new. Our company values are the same as those shared by the chef, so working together was almost natural. From this collaboration, we inaugurate a new beginning: a significant redesign not only of the bistrot's offerings but also of the kitchen as a space, which today becomes an important environment and the focal point of all Centumbrie's dining, in synergy with the tavern, bar, and villas. A 360-degree project that raises the bar even higher," declares Miriam Cinaglia.
The space begins as a gourmet bistro inside the olive mill and now transforms, thanks to the visionary idea of Chef Gennaro Esposito, into a kind of 'metropolitan club' where one can experience culinary delights and more. From aperitifs to post-dinner events, Sunday brunch, and special occasions—an enormous 'kitchen-theater' spanning 150 square meters, a menu crafted with top-quality ingredients, ranging from raw seafood and pizza to tapas and true gourmet dishes. An intriguing wine list and an always-active cocktail bar with a drink list featuring both classics and surprising signatures (notably featuring extra virgin olive oil CM). A modern and welcoming design space (with around 100 indoor and 80 outdoor covers), elegant and colorful in the distinctive Centumbrie style. A trendy place to meet, have fun, and be together, undoubtedly a unique spot in the area.
The bistro's kitchen is a true hub where all Centumbrie catering services come to life: from light lunches to be enjoyed in the nearby bar, to home catering services offered in the splendid vacation villas in the surrounding countryside and on Lake Trasimeno. The raw materials largely come from internal organic farming projects: garden vegetables, legumes, flours, and, of course, extra virgin olive oil, the absolute star of all dishes.
The identity of the wine list follows the same vision as the cuisine: from the land to the table. In addition to CM Centumbrie natural wines, further options are the product of in-depth research: from small producers who love grapes and respect their land, to a special selection paying homage to the great classics and historic wineries. A real journey, from the lesser-traveled roads of Lake Trasimeno to the Loire Valley, and even overseas. A young team of about 15 people (including kitchen, dining, and cocktail bar staff). In the kitchen, stepping in for Esposito, is one of his protégés: the very young Campanian chef, Raffaele Iasevoli.
THE MENU OF THE NEW EVO BISTROT
An offering that combines the tradition of the Umbrian land with Southern seafood cuisine. An unexpected encounter here in the province of Perugia, giving rise to a menu crafted with a singular intent: to bring everyone together around the same table, as much as possible, blending popular tradition with more gourmet dishes. A cuisine that spans from meat to fish, including raw seafood, catch of the day, traditional first courses, soups, tapas, pizza, burgers, and sandwiches, Josper oven-cooked dishes, and plenty of vegetables.
Among the appetizers: Marinated shrimp with pumpkin, sun-dried tomatoes, and arugula; Roasted prawns with avocado, tapenade, and puntarelle salad; Veal tartare with Mediterranean pesto, watercress, and lemon; Sea bass carpaccio with pistachio cream, spinach, and anchovy sauce; Grand raw seafood platter; Oyster selection; Caviar tasting; and the 'N'è na pizza' in various flavors (a low-rise pizza with very little yeast and super crispy, reminiscent of Roman style but not quite).
Among the first courses: Vesuvius tomato spaghetti Gennaro Esposito selection; Goose tortelli with creamy spinach, pecorino, and black truffle; Caprese ravioli; Mezzi paccheri with white cuttlefish ragù; Broken linguine with onion broth, land, and truffle Parmesan crust.
Josper-cooked meats: Umbrian beef Ribeye; Guinea fowl; Sea bass fillet; Squid. From the garden: Vegetable Parmigiana; Sweet and sour red turnip petal carpaccio with pecorino and green sauce; Bitter leaf and legume soups. There's also a section dedicated to burgers and sandwiches, with the must-try Club Umbria Sandwich. Among desserts: Neapolitan baba, lemon delight, and Profiteroles.
THE CENTUMBRIE UNIVERSE
Centumbrie is, above all, a family project. The Cinaglia and Menicucci spouses, after a life lived outside the region, decide to invest in their native land to create something important, focusing on the concepts of continuity and the valorization of Umbria in all its excellences and beauties. The first step was the purchase of farmhouses with olive groves, all around Lake Trasimeno, a true expression of the territory: farmhouses as a sign of openness to hospitality, to showcase the beloved land; olive trees as a symbol of life, of vital flow. The olive mill is immediately born, with an internal courtyard that is its heart. Direct control over the entire supply chain guarantees the highest quality.
In two years, the project lines up all the cornerstones of that idea of experience, life, and evolution that the Cinaglia family wants to represent: the bistro is added to the olive mill, a precious little mill is inaugurated, complete with a laboratory for sweet and savory baking and a point of sale. The farmhouses receive guests, and the company and its products unfold their stories. Spaces expand, and the city finds a new place for leisure and gastronomic discovery. In general, Centumbrie aims to spread a concept of philosophical beauty as harmony, proportion, and care, through guidelines such as commitment, Umbrian excellence, quality, and the promotion and support of young and dreamy ideas and energies.
Evo Oil and Other Land Products
The olive mill is state-of-the-art, producing oils based on the 4 varieties cultivated by the company: Moraiolo, Frantoio, Leccino, and Dolce Agogia. While the first three are typical of central Italy, Dolce Agogia is a native variety from the east coast of Lake Trasimeno, rarely found and seldom processed as a monocultivar due to various management difficulties (complex pruning, strictly manual harvesting, and only within a temporal window of about 5 days a year). The Dolce Agogia CM monocultivar has achieved great success from its first year of production and in 2021 became a Slow Food presidium. Since the initial edition (olive oil campaign 2019/2022) of CM-branded oils from 2019/2020, passion and love have translated immediately into success. In Centumbrie fields, alongside olives, vegetables, fruits, legumes, and cereals are also harvested. Everything is processed on-site and presented to the market as raw materials or transformed products. Regarding the spaces, the company rejects the idea of a production center as an end in itself and strives to create a accessible place to visit and explore, where one can connect with the materials, learn about the production processes, and deepen knowledge to increase awareness during tastings. For this reason, the production areas have glass walls, visible from the outside, and are paired with catering and tasting services.
The mill, the coffee shop and the bakery and pastry lab
Within a year, the mill with a natural monolith stone comes to life, grinding the grains from Centumbrie fields and producing a high-quality organic flour (1-2-whole and rye, the latter only for internal consumption), with an attached production laboratory and a coffee shop/bakery/pastry shop for the sale of the produced goods. The bakery and pastry lab have an international scope: French pastry, Northern European baking, and experiments with Italian and local specialties. All raw materials are natural and of high quality, using regenerated sourdough every day, artisanal techniques with long and natural leavening, high hydrations, and manual processing in all phases. The Molino Centumbrie coffee shop is included in the 'Pane e Panettieri d'Italia' Gambero Rosso guide with two loaves, and in the 'Bar d'Italia' guide (Italians Coffee Shops guide) with three coffee beans (it was the 'Bar of the Year' in the 2022 Guide).
Libera Lepre: Osteria and Winery
A rustic-style building immersed in the tranquility of nature. Cellar on the ground floor and osteria (tavern) on the upper floor. A breathtaking terrace overlooking the valley behind Lake Trasimeno. Libera Lepre, the agricultural estate, is one of the cultivation areas of the Centumbrie company; the name is linked to its origins: the area used to be a hare farm, and these hares have now found freedom with the new owners, the Cinaglia family.
The Winery: the resting place of Centumbrie wines, where vinification processes are mainly manual. Nearly 4 hectares of vines, about 30% of which are newly planted. Natural wines are produced here, without the addition of sulfur, with spontaneous fermentation, indigenous yeasts, and no temperature control: free-spirited wines at Libera Lepre! The wines include PERDO LA TESTA BIANCO FRIZZANTE (Bottle refermented, ancestral method, Grechetto, and Trebbiano), PERDO LA TESTA BIANCO FERMO (Grechetto and Trebbiano), PERDO LA TESTA ROSE’ (Merlot and Cabernet), PERDO LA TESTA ROSE’ FRIZZANTE (Bottle refermented, ancestral method, Merlot, and Cabernet), and PERDO LA TESTA ROSSO (Sangiovese and Cabernet).
The Osteria: offers a menu of typical local cuisine influenced by the Cinaglia family's Roman heritage: handmade pasta, generous portions, authentic flavors, grilled dishes, and wood-fired oven specialties. The raw materials come from Centumbrie's agricultural work, cultivated organically, genuine, and of high quality. Ingredients include extra virgin olive oil pressed in the company-owned mill, handmade bread with sourdough, stone-ground flours from grains that can also be observed in the Libera Lepre estate, seasonal vegetables, legumes, some cuts of free-range raised meat, all combined with products from carefully selected local small businesses.
Accomodations and events
In the same perspective of hospitality, exchange, and accessibility, CM accommodations are born (https://www.centumbrie.com/casali/), designed for a broad audience: from luxury villas on the shores of Lake Trasimeno to designer apartments in the historic center of a delightful medieval hillside village. These accommodations complement the offering for experiences and events organized ad hoc, such as tastings, guided tours, trekking on foot or by bike among the olive trees, music, and art.
The Itaca park
It is one of the latest creations from Centumbrie. A green oasis for the community, created with love and dedication by the Cinaglia Menicucci family. The name of the park aims to represent the journey undertaken by Centumbrie in the spirit of social commitment. Itaca is indeed part of the sustainability and urban redevelopment project that the company has always pursued. A project of about 7,000 square meters that includes three renovated areas: the public garden complete with furnishings, children's play areas, an amphitheater, and a large fountain; the green path of about 1.5 km for walks and sports activities; the communal spaces around it, revitalized with parking lots, sidewalks, and flower beds.
