The young chef is the hotel's latest acquisition. At the Radici restaurant, he offers a culinary journey where transalpine experience is at the service of the local area.
The hotel
Umbrian charm in every detail and setting at Borgo La Chiaracia, a five-star resort in Castel Giorgio. We are on the Alfina plateau, not far from the border with Lazio and Lake Bolsena, in a place immersed in the Umbrian countryside and in constant dialogue with it: from the three farmhouses connected by an underground tunnel (without altering the surrounding landscape) to the food and wine offerings that “sponsor” local farms, businesses, and artisans. While the welcome gift for guests in their rooms is a packet of dried chickpeas from the La Chiaracia farm—their Metodo Classico made from Pinot Noir grapes is also interesting—breakfast is a rich assortment of local products, including cow's milk ricotta, yogurt, jams, honey, and eggs from Pulicaro, an ethical farm with which Borgo also collaborates for the supply of poultry. The culinary offering is completed by the La Pagoda bistro, the Etrusco Bar, and the fine dining restaurant Radici, which will be under the guidance of Gabriel Collazzo from October 2025.
The restaurant
The young chef, born in 1999, is a rising star on the Italian gastronomic scene. He trained in France at his brother's restaurant (before he was even 18) and then under Michelin-starred chefs such as Eric Pras – three macarons at Maison Lameloise in Chagny – before making his debut in the world of haute cuisine in Florence, at the two-Michelin-starred Santa Elisabetta. “After tasting executive chef Rocco De Santis' spaghetti with seaweed butter and bottarga, I left my resume and two weeks later I was in the kitchen with him,” says Collazzo. Despite his age, the Tuscan chef's culinary thinking is profound and mature, as evidenced not only by his dishes but also by the path he has decided to take at Radici. In line with the philosophy of Borgo La Chiaracia, he has created three tasting menus where the connection with the territory is tangible in every ingredient.
“For the next menu, I would like to bring even more of ‘myself’ who has worked abroad and place greater emphasis on white meats such as rabbit, to get closer to the local area. Nearby, we have a fantastic organic pasture farm for a protein that is often underestimated in fine dining establishments,” says the chef, who continues: “I am discussing with the owners the possibility of starting our own farm, which would give me the opportunity to create daily dishes based on what is available in the garden.” Vegetables are an important theme for Collazzo, as demonstrated by the Radici (€80) menu, and will become an increasingly fundamental aspect of the restaurant's gastronomic journey.
Radici is managed by Mauro Clementi, maître d'hôtel and sommelier with an in-depth knowledge of his native Orvieto region. In addition to a well-stocked selection of Italian and French wines, the cellar also boasts a decent range of Umbrian wines, with some interesting verticals, particularly for Orvieto DOC wines: significant vintages that allow you to appreciate their complexity and structure.
The dishes
For the occasion, we tried the Condividere menu (€125), seven courses that summarize Gabriel Collazzo's philosophy. The starter is a comforting Italian-style babà with tomato sauce, burrata, and basil pesto, followed by a buckwheat tartlet with artichokes, anchovies, and black cabbage, and a madeleine with white chocolate, cocoa, Jerusalem artichoke cream, caviar, dried grapefruit, and a final explosion in the mouth provided by gin and tonic gel with sparkling sugar.
The crispy oyster with Mangalitza lard and spinach cream is the chef's first tribute to the local area. The minerality of the shellfish interacts with the savory flavor of the lard in an enveloping panko breadcrumb coating. This is followed by veal sweetbread, turnip greens, pine nuts, and prized black truffle, showcasing Collazzo's technical mastery in both the cooking of the meat and the preparation of the sauce. There is a strong seasonal flavor in the pumpkin gnocchi with goat's milk toma cheese and black cabbage, with a good balance between the ingredients and a pleasant texture of the pasta.
Spaghetti sotto le nuvole (Spaghetti under the clouds) is one of the chef's signature dishes, reworked in an Umbrian style and in memory of the famous spaghetti tasted by Rocco de Santis: wild fennel butter, pike, lavarello bottarga, yuzu air, plankton, and bergamot essence. A dish that hits the spot with the sweetness of butter and the salty notes of plankton and lake fish.
The roe deer Bourguignonne with potato millefeuille and black truffle was impeccable, accompanied by a fabulous side dish of roe deer stew, potato mousse, and truffle caviar. Deliciousness to the nth degree. The savory tasting ended with another Collazzo signature dish and the best taste of the evening: pigeon matured in beeswax with homemade umeboshi, black garlic, and bay leaf extract.
“This recipe is the result of my eight years spent in France, where pigeon is one of the symbols of the country's gastronomic identity. I preserve it in beeswax for 60 days to break down the fiber and make it more tender, a process that also allows me to cook it more pink.”While the texture of the pigeon is close to perfection, the sauces complement the dish beautifully, along with the smoked leg. The dessert is a cocoa ravioli filled with gianduia and hazelnut, cocoa wafer and white truffle, intense in both taste and aroma.
“I want to raise the standard of the Radici restaurant, understand customers' desires, and enhance their experiences here at Borgo La Chiaracia,” comments Gabriel Collazzo. All the conditions are in place.
Borgo La Chiaracia
La Chiaracia, Località Borgo, 05013 Castel Giorgio TR
