Casal Dei Papi

Beautiful place, though small.

The service is excellent: the staff explain the dishes and ingredients well, keep you entertained without intruding, and can suggest flavors and wine pairings. The wine list is excellent too. The bill is steep, but fair for this kind of cooking. The property has a B&B, a restaurant, and an equestrian center. The restaurant is on the ground floor, with a country feel and lovely furnishings, all kept in good shape. Even the tableware is carefully chosen. The dishes are refined in flavor combinations and presentation, and the flavors and cooking are excellent. My first visit wasn't very exciting. The ingredients and technique seemed refined but sterile. When I came back, things had improved a lot. The menu now reflects the seasons, and the dishes feel more fully realized. Ingredients, combinations, cooking, and plating are still carefully considered, but they now come together as a tasting experience rather than a technical exercise. Some of the ingredients and presentation are still a bit over the top, but in six months the restaurant has clearly grown and is working to make up for its mistakes. That's remarkable for a place that's only a year and a half old.

Service could be better, especially when it comes to bringing dishes out at the same time for everyone at the table. The prices are moderate, though, and the food is excellent, with occasional original combinations and carefully chosen ingredients, including local wines and produce. The setting works in any season: outside in summer, surrounded by greenery, or indoors in winter, where the rustic but refined style and big fireplace make things feel cosy.

The hosts were discreet, friendly, charming, and happy to accommodate requests, even for someone like me who arrived without a car. Nature around the farmhouse is enchanting at any time of day, full of color, scents, and magic. It's so lovely you can almost forget to visit the places you came for. The B&B is even more beautiful than it looks online. The rooms and bathrooms are spotless, with antique furniture, parquet floors, and wrought-iron beds. The restaurant was a real surprise, serving excellent, flavorful, refined dishes from starters through dessert. The family's young, enthusiastic Michelin-starred chefs prepare them with locally sourced ingredients, including the wine, and the value is excellent. I recommend this B&B to everyone.