Ariccia
Situated less than 1-hour drive from Rome, Ariccia is a small "borgo" situated on an hill. It is part of what is called "Castelli Romani" (Roman Castles), which is made up of 17 small towns.
The origin of Castelli Romani dates back to Ancient Rome: when the Barbarians reached Rome, the Roman nobles retreat in this area and build their fortresses to protect themselves.
Ariccia
@andrearizzo
Ariccia is a charming town located in the Lazio region of central Italy, just 25 kilometers southeast of Rome. Nestled in the picturesque Castelli Romani hills, Ariccia is renowned for its rich history, culinary heritage, and stunning landscapes. Ariccia is celebrated for its porchetta, a traditional roasted pork dish seasoned with herbs and spices.
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Porchetta di Ariccia
Every Roman knows this infamous small town for its Porchetta.
Porchetta of Ariccia is prepared using a whole boneless pig. It is seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, and sometimes other herbs, and then slow-roasted in an oven.
The result is a tender, flavourful interior and a crispy, golden-brown crust on the outside.
The origin of this dish dates back to pre-Roman times. This pork dish was prepared by the monks to be given as sacrifice to god Jupiter.
Then, during Roman empire, the nobles used to come to this area for hunting and kept the tradition of making this dish.
The tradition stayed up to our days, when, not so recently, in 1950, the mayor with the "porchettari" (porchetta makers) decided to do the first Sagra of the Porchetta of Ariccia (a fair where porchetta is celebrated).
More recently, Porchetta of Ariccia was recognized as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI or IGP in Italian) product by the European Union.
Sagra of Porchetta
Between the end of August and the beginning of September, the town overflow of people coming from everywhere for its yearly Sagra of the Porchetta of Ariccia.
The streets are full of stands where local products and food can be found, live music and shows. You will smell the scent of fresh made bread with the unique odour of porchetta.
Romanella wine
A special mention is for Romanella wine, a sparkling or slightly effervescent wine known for its fruity, slightly sweet taste, It is easy to drink, as it has a modest alcohol content.
Fraschette
The terms fraschetta comes from a tradition where a local wine producer opened a small shop where he offered his wine. The producer used to put a "frasca" (a small bottle) outside his shop to signal the availability of his wine.
Traditionally, in the "fraschette", there wasn't a kitchen and clients used to bring their food to be eat with the wine.
As the "fraschette" become famous, some entrepreneurs started selling their food next to a fraschetta and one of the most common food sold was the porchetta.
Nowadays, Ariccia is the symbol of this tradition and the town is full of fraschette.
Do not worry, you don't have to bring your own food, they will cook you a delicious meal.
The majority of the fraschette offers a fixed menu that is usually made up of: starters with local charcuteries and hot dishes like beans and tripe, the main course (pasta carbonara, gricia, arrabbiata, ...) and coffee and dessert. In most places the dishes are very abundant and you can be already full after the starter.
It is also possible to eat a la carte or to have a vegetarian alternative.
Are you hungry? Here are some of my favourite restaurants:
Where to eat?
Aricciainbocca
@andrearizzo
This is my favourite fraschetta. The ambiance is more chic if compared to the others in the city and is slightly costlier yet, in my opinion is the best. The starters are plentiful and they can be sufficient to satisfy you. Should you still be hungry, try their main courses but remember to leave a small space for desserts: their are out of this world, especially the cream with the strawberries and the tiramisu!
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Fraschetta Dar Burino
@andrearizzo
This place is famous for its peculiarity: the waiters will treat you bad and insult you (as a joke). Of course all will be done with the famous savoir-faire typical of the Romans. What this place is also famous is because there is a room full of things where minors are not allowed (I let you immagine and discover). This place is ideal for a night out with friends.
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Osteria l'Aricciarola
@andrearizzo
The ambiance is really well finished and also the dishes are exquisite. Prices are in line with the other restaurants.
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Fraschetta Osteria Dar Vignarolo
@andrearizzo
More spartan and cheaper restaurant but with a good quality of products. They will bring at your table an entire Parmesan with pasta inside and they will cream your pasta inside the Parmesan cheese.
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Fraschetta Antico Grottino
@andrearizzo
Right in the main square, it looks like you are eating in a grotto (even though in summer they have outside seatings). The main course are mouth-watering.
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Porchetta Cioli
@andrearizzo
In a hurry? You can get a delicious sandwich with porchetta in this small shop as a takeaway. You can eat the sandwich in the main square or at the panoramic viewpoint at Piazza Mazzini, just at the end of the road.
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How to get to Ariccia?
By car or taxi
Getting here by car is the easiest and straightforward option.
From Rome you take the SS7 and in almost 40 minutes (from Roma Ring Road) you are there. During weekends the town gets crowded and there are not a lot of parking space available.
Most of the time I found a free parking spot uphill, near the cemetery.
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By bus
From Rome Anagnina bus station (and last stop of the metro line A) there are several bus that come to Ariccia.
For routes and timetable check COTRAL (bus company) website.
The bus stop that you should look for is "Ariccia - Largo Savelli".
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By train
Ariccia does not have its own tran station, but can also be reached from Roma Termini (Rome main station) by train.
In this case your final destination is Albano Laziale station.
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From Albano Laziale you can walk to Ariccia (almost 20 minutes, 1,6 km to Ariccia centre) or you can take the COTRAL bus from Albano - Borgo Garibaldi stop.
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