Skip to Content

Food, Friendship and Wine: LeMarche Region, Italy

 

Academia del Padlòt at Pallazo Donati

Academia del Padlòt at Palazzo Donati kitchen

Academia del Padlòt at Pallazo Donati

Homemade, handmade pasta

Academia del Padlòt at Pallazo Donati

Coradella – lamb’s liver with garlic

Deep in the caverns of a palatial kitchen, we sang and laughed, as we tasted the flavorful homemade food, high in the hills of Mercatello sul Metauro, Italy.  I heard the sounds of many languages, laughter, and songs, as I popped fava beans the size of sausages into my mouth, after salting them on bread with a tiny slice of farmers cheese (Fave e Formaggio Fresco).  They were delicious!

Fave e Formaggio Fresco – Fava beans, salted

Fave e Formaggio Fresco – Fava beans, salted

Academia del Padlòt at Pallazo Donati

Fave e Formaggio Fresco – Fava beans, salted and Italian Red Wine

I then washed them down with Prosecco and red wine.  The hours ticked away as the conversations flowed and the sounds grew louder and louder, as most things Italian.

Mercatello sul Metauro, Italy

Mercatello sul Metauro, Italy

Mercatello sul Metauro, Italy

Mercatello sul Metauro, Italy

This rustic region of Italy, LeMarche, has more charm in its little pinky toe than most places anywhere else on earth.  It is nestled between and among Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, and Umbria.

Map - Mercatello sul Metauro, Italy

Map – Mercatello sul Metauro, Italy

Mercatello sul Metauro, Italy

Mercatello sul Metauro, Italy

Mercatello sul Metauro, Italy

Mercatello sul Metauro, Italy

I was so excited to be invited to the dinner from this group of nine Italian men who arrived at our Palazzo’s commercial kitchen to cook dinner for our group.  During the day, we stopped by the kitchen several times to see their progress on triple ovens and multiple stovetops and then convened downstairs in the rustic kitchen with its flaming hearth stove and family style tables.

Academia del Padlòt at Pallazo Donati

Academia del Padlòt at Palazzo Donati

Academia del Padlòt at Pallazo Donati

Crostini con Paté – sliced baguette with sausage and liver pate

This cooking group calls themselves the Academia Del Padlot.  They have gotten together every day for a drink, once a week for a dinner and one time a year for a trip for 18 years.  They yearly rent a tiny bus and travel to other regions of Italy seeking out other Italian gastronomy.

Academia del Padlòt at Pallazo Donati

Academia del Padlòt at Palazzo Donati, Mercatello sul Metauro, Italy

Their name means “the academy of a giant ladle or spoon that is used to pour wine!” The wine was, of course, flowing when we arrived and it never seemed to stop.  The glue that sticks this group together is the friendships they have formed, the love for wine, food and the joy of camaraderie.

Academia del Padlòt at Pallazo Donati

Lanfranco Pagliardini of Academia del Padlòt at Palazzo Donati

Each member of the group brings a different skill set in the kitchen and are different ages, different professions and may have opposing political views, but they are united by food and drink!  They are known to rarely prepare a meal for others outside of their group, but I was lucky and had a special feast prepared by them to help me learn about the culture of this region of LeMarche.

Pallazo Donati, Mercatello sul Metauro, Italy

Palazzo Donati, Mercatello sul Metauro, Italy

You, too, can have this experience, as it can be booked by your stay at the Palazzo Donati Villa, where they exclusively host dinners for their guests!  I can vouch for both, Accademia del Padlot and Palazzo Donati, that they are both such unique and charming experiences!

Curious as to what was on the menu that night?

Here is whats for dinner:

Fave e Formaggio Fresco – Fava beans, salted with holiday cheese;
Charcuterie – salami and various cuts of meat;
Bruschetta - toasted bread slices with garlic, olive oil and salt;
Crostini con Paté – sliced baguette with sausage and liver pate;
Coradella – lamb’s liver with garlic;
Goletta con salvia e aceto o vino bianco - pig’s jowl with sage, vinegar and white wine;
Spezzatino di Cinghiale - wild boar stew;
Radicchio rosso in graticola  - Italian red chicory grilled crispy;
Patate Sotto il Fuoco - whole potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil, cooked in the ash 
from the firewood;
Torta Pascuela, a traditional Easter cheese bread (made with gruyere, 
pecorino and romanesco cheeses)
Crostata - A delicately laced tart made with butter, sugar,
flour and eggs and filled with plums, elderberry and tomatoes
Academia del Padlòt at Pallazo Donati

Fave e Formaggio Fresco – Fava beans, salted with holiday cheese

Academia del Padlòt at Pallazo Donati

Coradella – lamb’s liver with garlic

Academia del Padlòt at Pallazo Donati

Torta pascuela, a traditional Easter cheese bread (made with gruyere, pecorino, and romanesco cheeses) with Charcuterie – salami and various cuts of meat

Academia del Padlòt at Pallazo Donati

Pasta by Academia del Padlòt at Palazzo Donati


Fave e Formaggio Fresco – Fava beans, salted

Fave e Formaggio Fresco – Fava beans, salted

RECOMMENDED READING:

Top Secrets of Rome Revealed

From Rome to Positano, Italy

Furore, Italy: The Most Beautiful Place on Earth

Carnival of Venice, Italy

Portofino, Italy: At least Once in a Lifetime

Disclosure: I was a guest of Palazzo Donati, who hosted  Accademia Del Padlot to serve us this amazingly delicious and fun meal.  The words for this article dripped from my very own mouth with glee!

 

 

Alys Blakeway

Monday 8th of December 2014

Thank you so much for publicising Le Marche and its food, people and townscapes. I love the region and have been visiting it for over 20 years.

Cacinda Maloney

Tuesday 9th of December 2014

Yes, I love this region too!

A Cook Not Mad (Nat)

Sunday 20th of July 2014

That menu sounds amazing! Italians know how to live, we can never get enough of Italia!

Cacinda Maloney

Sunday 20th of July 2014

So true! And when the dinner was over, they just went home, no clean up!

Karen Warren

Wednesday 16th of July 2014

Le Marche is one part of Italy I haven;t got to (yet). The food all looks amazing - especially that cheese bread!

Cacinda Maloney

Wednesday 16th of July 2014

It is truly untouched! I loved it!

Donna Janke

Wednesday 16th of July 2014

What an interesting group and an interesting experience in LeMarche. My mouth is watering. I love the rustic photographs.

Cacinda Maloney

Wednesday 16th of July 2014

They were a fun group for sure!

Linda ~ Journey Jottings

Wednesday 16th of July 2014

A picture tells a 1,000 words and here you totally sucked me in with your wonderful graphic imagery - The warmth of people and their culinary craft - delicious :)

Cacinda Maloney

Wednesday 16th of July 2014

Thanks for the compliment! I love photography, and you are right, a picture tells a 1,000 words!

Comments are closed.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.