Go on a Culinary Journey…
 Bring
back the past as your footsteps crunch over the broken amphoras
in Testaccio. Hurry down to celebrate the spirit of Rome at Checcino
dal 1887. Sit in the attractive and elegant ambience of Checcino
dal 1887 located at Via di Monte Tesraccio 30, Rome 00153 and listen
to a fantastic tale. Go into the time of Imperial Rome and watch
the Romans carry in amphoras of wine and oil from other parts of
the country. As the oil and wine had leaked into the porous earthenware,
the amphoras could not be used twice. So it was thrown into the
River Tiber. Emperor Nero ordered the amphoras to be taken out of
the Tiber as the river could get choked. The amphoras were broken
and stacked into necks and handles in one pile and the broken bodies
into another. As they piled up, the amphoras became hills over 70
meters high. As time went by, it was found that the terracotta hills
were good for storage cellars for wine. So, caves were cut into
the hills to store wine.
 Come
and celebrate the fantastic Roman tradition at the centenary function
of Checcino dal 1887 and walk into the cool confines of a restaurant
carved into the terracotta hills. Listen to the history of Checcino
dal 1887 when it was a shop selling wine to the butchers who worked
in the slaughter houses close by. Part of the workers’ salary
was paid with the fifth quarter of the day’s slaughter of
tail, feet, intestines, sweetbreads and other parts. Soon it was
turned into a tavern with a wine shop and now the great great-grandchildren
of the original owners run this unique, typical Roman restaurant.
 Sit
down to enjoy classic Roman dishes with rigatoni con pajata (pasta
with small intestines), coda alla vaccinara (oxtail stew), fagioli
e cotiche (beans with intestinal fat), and other examples of la
cucina povera (food of the poor).
Come and meet the owners of Checchino dal 1887 which was ranked
as one of the 50 best Restaurants in the World 2005. The kitchen
is looked after by Ninette Mariani, while her son Elio is in charge
of the wine and her other son, Francesco looks after the restaurant.
Listen with rapt attention as Francesco guides you through a vast
menu which comprises of wild boar with dried prunes served with
red wine and an array of delectable soups, salads, pastas steaks,
cutlets, grills with delicious desserts like ice creams, spuma di
ricotta with cocoa powder or cinnamon and delicious sweets served
with caring attention and courtesy.
 Explore
the old neighborhood of Rome where the old abbatoir was and walk
around the corner to discover the graveyard where Keats was buried
and where Shelley had his memorial. As twilight dims the skies,
the area turns into one of the most vibrant nightspots in the world.
Let the taste buds tingle with appetizing aromas from Checcino dal
1887 and turn back to dine at its wonderful outdoor and indoor restaurants.
Elio helps you choose the wines from the old terracotta wine cellar
which stocks more than 600 labels from all over the world including
local and national wines. Relax and let the soul stirring cucina
tipica bewitch the senses.  Go
ahead and ask for major favorites like, Pasta, ‘Bavette with
tuna sauce’, Meat, ‘Chicken with peppers Roman style’
and ‘Oxtail Vaccinara’ and the piece de resistance,
the Dessert, ‘Ricotta Mousse’. Sora Fermina, the grandmother
in the Mariani family had passed down a magical recipe of the celery
stew and with innovative talents had created the popular ‘Vaccinara
tail made with the ‘gaffi’ or the cheeks of the animal.
Try out the stewed abbachio or lamb made according to the seasons
with the dish being mild in spring and gamey in winter. Add on a
side of salad with crisp greens called ‘Punatarelle’.
Sit in the oak-panelled restaurant which has 85 seats and enjoy
a spectrum of cheeses, a panorama of 40,000 wines, over 50 Grappas
and Armagnacs.
 The
Mariani family guides you through a spectacular menu which includes
signature dishes like, ‘Invaltini di Carni’ which is
beef rolled around carrots, onions and herbs and braised to a divine
perfection. You can also try the lovely ‘Veal Saltimboca’,
rabbit, ‘Bolito Misto’ which is a blend of boiled tongue
and trotters, classics like ‘Tonnarelli’ topped with
oxtail sauce, ‘Gricia’ which is cured jowl and pecorino
or ‘Amatriciana’ and lamb which invites the palate to
go on a culinary journey accompanied by Italian classic vintages.
The abode of Roman gastronomy, the Checchino dal 1887 is a Member
of Ristoranti Buon Ricordo and recommended by Bona dei Frescobaldi
in “Italy’s Finest”. Though the restaurant is
closed on Sunday evenings and Mondays do as the Romans do when in
Rome by visiting the famous Checcino dal 1887 and meet the locals
and the tourists who throng there to taste the ancient dishes of
a typical Roman eatery.
Enter the Abode of Roman Gastronomy…
|
