Il Santarello

In a small farm situated in the countrysude of the Albegna river upper valley, between the villages of Manciano e Scansano, and not far from the well known Saturnia SPA, we have inaugurated a small “Osteria”. A traditional refreshment stopover.

Here, we have tried to bring back that spirit the Italian Farmers once had when cooking and serving food, offering those traditional simple dishes, using those natural ingredients and giving that genuine simple welcome.

A few hundred meters from the farmhouse is where we personally cultivate a rather large biological vegetable garden which has become the strong point of our little osteria.

An osteria where the menu proposes ingredients that strictly follow what the season has to offer in that period and complies with the zero miles philosophy.

In this valley there are quite a number of small farmers who produce biological olive oil and breed sheep that graze these fields.

The milk produced goes to the local Manciano Social Creamery where different varieties of cheese (cottage cheese too!) are made and the meat also is butchered and sold in the area.

Various farmers breed cows here as well and feed them with the harvest from their fields.

As in every farm in central Italy, pigs are bred mainly for domestic use and little else.

It’s in these farms that we purchase the meat, salami, and prosciutto for our osteria.

Woods in this area are the natural habitat for wild boar and during the hunting season it is quite easy to find dishes that offer this particulary tasty meat.

Furthermore, it must be remembered that this area of ours, is where the Sangiovese grapes are grown.

From these grapes the famous Morellino and Chianti wines are made and even the very precious Brunello di Montalcino comes forme them.

This small and confidential osteria offer a fixed set menu which is changed every day.

The menu starts with an hors d’oeuvre followes by a pasta with vegetables form our garden and a warm or cold soup (depending on the season), then a plate of assorted meat (beef, pork or chicken from the valley), grilled on the charcoal of our woods accompanied by different kinds of vegetables as side dishes and, from the start, by a farmer’s red or white wine.

As dessert we have our traditional home made cakes.

In these times, the meal in this small and simple farmhouse, almost becomes a duty, in a place where traditional food comes together with a familiar welcome and with a couple of hours that bring us back to those rythms, flavours and encounters of times gone.

Please note that it is necessary to reserve at least a day in advance. We cook specifically for you!!