From the solicitude for the vegetable, processed with techniques capable of enhancing its various shades of intensity, to the real dialogue with the producers, discovered and told on the human front beyond the daily supply: the sign in Priverno is a candidate as a new stop for seekers of leavened goodness in Lazio. There is no shortage of a tasting menu and a valuable drink list, with Cesanese alongside Champagne. All under the guidance of two skilled cousins in their thirties, who are betting on a promising formula in their town outside Rome.
Photos by Alberto Blasetti
The best youth of the round “new era” is not only taking root in large urban centers. If there is one phenomenon we have witnessed in the last decade, it is that of a slow but significant redemption of off mano addresses, capable of moving an increasingly curious public to towns, villages and even hamlets with solid (though often invisible) gastro-cultural potential. Thus, three years ago a team made its debut in Priverno that now aims high through investment and evenings spent at the fires without delegating anything.
We are talking about Antonio Visentin and Giammarco Ambrifi, blood cousins and colleagues of choice, as well as young owners of La Passeggiata pizzeria; above all, up-and-coming talents with clear ideas, ready to plate as much a tasting menu with 4 different Daisies as a slew of domestic recipes transferred to the doughs-from venison stew to barbecued chestnuts to grilled cardoncelli.
We reach Priverno in an hour and a quarter from Rome; among the streets the smell of searing street food warms the crisp air during a festival with the stands in single file. Yet, already at 8 p.m. the restaurant does not have a single free table: it is teeming with couples, groups and families, in a patchwork of assorted ages and preferences. The fried lasagna divided between parents and toddlers; the connoisseur on duty intent on studying a wine list with Champagne next to Cesanese; the glass-fronted kitchen from which the gestures of a team that believes in it leak out . Message received: here, pizza enjoys respect beyond ritual popularity. And everyone, in the end, gets to enjoy their slice of satisfaction in real time.
The history, the restaurant and the philosophy
Originally it was pizza by the slice: 1985, Antonio and Giammarco's family opened a breach in the industry with a hotspot of leavened goodness run by sisters Nadia and Pina Scalesse. Shortly thereafter , the baton was passed without delay to the two boys, respectively strong with a background in business management and training in the acrobatic pizza branch, Angelo Iezzi school.
Ambition runs on the right tracks until the arrival of the Passeggiata, which in a new 310-square-meter sign combines the debut business-with the counter and the stuffed slices in full view at the entrance-and a special room to enjoy the total experience. Except that the family tree continues to bear fruit from branch to branch, aided and abetted by the hand of Uncle Roberto Scalesse, a longtime restorer who signed off on the design of the rooms, preserving the original floor composed of Carrara marble and favoring natural materials such as iron, wood and marble, in a climax of references to Roman architecture.
The outcome stands out at first glance, given Roberto's skill in the renovation undertaking (he, co-responsible for important research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is credited with the studies on the Pompeii fresco depicting an atavistic focaccia). In response, modernity knocks at the door with plush grace, sometimes taking the form of LEDs on the walls, talatra of welcome courtesies for guests (how many pizzerias offer d'emblée bag rests upon arrival? We'll leave that answer to you!). On the food side, the menu is a free style in local waters: there is a concern for the vegetable, processed with techniques that enhance its gradations of intensity, and a real dialogue with the producers, discovered and told on the human front beyond the daily supply.
A few examples? Frantoio Orsini of Priverno for fragrant extra virgin olive oils added to toppings, artisan Gaetano Mastrantoni for cured meats and buffalo meat, and two Slow Food Presidia-the Marzolina of the Benacquista reality of Campoli Appennino and the Conciato romano of the La Campestre Famiglia Lombardi company of Castel di Sasso-both with a marked depth of expression.
Let wine addicts be on their toes, then, as sommelier Alessandro Gismondi - who has a distinguished past, from his debut at just 15 years of age with Salvatore Tassa to Marco Bottega's room at the nearby Aminta Resort-has focused the drink list on double scouting, with valid indigenous references and a few niche labels selected from beyond the Alps (suffice it to mention the Champagne Blanc de Meunier from Domaine Roulot-Fournier, a worthy opener of the dinner). An ongoing catalog that for now has 30 names, taking advantage of a 150-piece bottle rack strategically placed next to the pass. Is anything missing?
Yes, 5 different types of doughs share the scene in the back, where the team keeps two electric ovens constantly on, “necessary to ‘dry’ our pizza well (made with medium-strength flours from a nearby mill, strictly stone-ground, and hydrated to 73-75%, ed.),” Giammarco and Antonio explain. The result is a natural turnover of fragrances, from the “airy” tension of the slightly crock ledge to the soluble center, while still dodging the dispersion of seasoning thanks to the textured base.
The pizzas
The tastings -in our case, an amalgam between the “Evoluzione di Margherita ” tasting (6 runs at €25, €40 with pairing) and the tastes of the moment- are introduced by the sprightly in-room narration of Claudia Colabono and Perla Santoro, who are able to fully convey the sense of the path conceived by Giammarco and Antonio. An articulated itinerary, according to the tripartition between classic, authentic and author's rounds, plus the bases in the pan and in double cooking, which are flanked by the Roman-style croissant and the trio of montanare to give strength to the “single” appetizers. It begins with the chromatic surprise of Antonio Ruggiero's Purple Potato Croquette, enriched with prosciutto cotto, smoked provola, fior di latte and parsley and made dynamic by the addition on top of Parmigiano Reggiano Dop fondue.
A bite on the edge of balance between the mellowness of the tuber -filling the cheeks with its almost nutty return- and the lively tempering of the outer shell. Similar in concept, but different in outcome, is the multilayered ingot of the Lasagna di broccoletti e salsiccia, which depending on the season happens to be found as well with the “Chiacchietegli di Priverno,” rare long-leafed vegetables from the area distinguished by purplish inflorescences and calm scents. “They have a gentle persistence that imprints the stamp of the territory on the palate; for our village they represent an important Slow Food Presidium,” Antonio explains. In short, the single-portion Sunday lunch at your fingertips: a kissed rhyme of pasta sheet and rustic filling. Whatever the choice, “the breadcrumbs are always assembled from our bread with liquid sourdough, which we bake exclusively for self-production, taking the surplus home in a no-waste perspective.”
Time to fight over fried foods and a crucial question hovers over the table: can a simple Margherita provide the outline for a topical theme? The answer takes shape in a track entirely dedicated to the Queen of Pizzas, aimed at ranging from the “classic of classics” to the daring variant with fruit (which we will reveal in a few lines!). In any case, for those who choose the“Evolution of Margherita,” the first act is a record in which roundness and sourness finally form an alliance pact, making the sauce harmonious rather than monotonous. Here, then, the Passeggiata's “basic” Margherita turns out to be elegant-a red carpet of San Marzano DOP suspended between the wholesomeness of the cereal and the juiciness of the fior di latte, in turn propelled by the aroma of the Frantoio Orsini monovarietal oil.
At the opposite extreme, a playful up and down of temperatures takes over in Pensiero di Margherita, so much so as to generate the impression of a "gastronomic" course. On the one hand, the clove garnished with tomato chutney and a coulis of basil stalks, to transform the woody part of the plant into a boost of herbaceous notes; on the other, a buffalo buttermilk ice cream with the dual function of zeroing the dairy waste and refreshing the jaw in closing. Not surprisingly, the gesture itself draws a “circular” motion in the transition from slice to scoop of ice cream (and vice versa).
Yet, the highlight arrives along with the only quadrotto pan served in the restaurant: in front of us, Margherita's Illusion, where the stewed kiwi sauce perfectly replaces the datterini by virtue of its pulpy sweetness. “The study of the fruit always starts from neighboring crops, since in the Agro Pontino kiwi abounds everywhere.” Reinforcing the sleight of hand is the total green topping that veers from a veil of cream to basil, while stracciatella gives a velvety wrap that cushions the crunch of the slice under the teeth.
A firm pulse on the handling of only seemingly “rustic” seasonings emerges instead from the Buffalo Genovese, a back-and-forth between the gangly meat and the invigorating lemon gel centered by Giammarco and Antonio. “Even one drop too many can alter the whole, so we did test after test to reach the perfect acidity point.” In the home stretch, however, it is the mint that washes away the last remnants of fattiness from the animal part.
From the custom of cooking roasted chestnuts in the fireplace takes hold the smoky chase of the pizza of the same name, divided between the silkiness of the chestnut cream and the “embers” sensation brought by the smoked cooked ham. In the background (very delicate but present at roll call) pomegranate, an ingredient that would be worth “insisting” on in order to best develop the gustatory chiaroscuro of the recipe.
Contact
Pizzeria della Passeggiata
Via Giacomo Matteotti, 101, 04015 Priverno LT
Phone: 0773 902865
