In Grottammare there is a place where you can eat in a church. It’s the Cantina di Sant'Agustino which, after centuries of inactivity has come back to life thanks to various members from a cultural association, including the promoter Don Giorgio Carini, a parish priest and architect. Just think that someone even criticized him accusing him of having transformed a sacred place into a temple of pleasure, of being "one who knows how to have a good time". But isn't it perhaps the primary task of priests to keep churches alive and to cheer people's souls and make them feel good?
The church and the association of Sant'Agustino
Cantina di Sant'Agustino was active as a convent until 1691. Then it was made redundant and subsequently had other functions for years, until 12 years ago when the cultural association Cantine di Sant'Agustino was founded with the aim of restarting and reviving some of the historical buildings in the area. The name derives from a fresco dating back to 1500 that was found on a wall of the properties, together with another two churches in Grottammare, San Pio and Santa Lucia, which are part of the same parish. In particular, it was Don Giorgio who devised the project for the property restoration who is also the promoter of the various activities including the kitchen. In fact, it was still a former refectory. So, at the beginning dinners were organized at the Cantina among the founding members to discuss how to make the most of such a valuable building. Then, in time, the association started to cook also for the outside guests, it was enough to create a membership card. Since June 2019, exactly one year ago, it’s no longer necessary to become a member as the Cantina has officially opened to the public as a restaurant or, better still as a tavern, because just as in church here the intention continues to be that of a place where first of all you feel good, at peace and united. In addition to cooking, other activities also continue, such as playful Wednesdays with board games or after school club for children. In short, every way possible to keep such a sacred place alive.
The Kitchen
Today there are about ten members who run the osteria: Simone, who, after various experiences abroad from Berlin to Paris is in the kitchen together with her dad Gigi who makes ice cream and Mrs.Candida, Pozzuoli's chef who knows her stuff about fish. "The Campania tradition for fish is the best," admits Simone. Then there is Alessandro at front of house and so on, all united for the (good) cause of the tavern where everything and everyone is in their right place. The cuisine is first and foremost that of the territory, which is sacred to them, so there is equally meat, vegetables, and fish (for those who don't know, Grottammare is located overlooking the sea). Generally, they try to respect the seasonality, both of the land and sea, using less known fish, often wrongly considered poor and hardly consumed. So in June and November there is never a shortage of sea snails, or "bombolotti" as they are called here, while at other times of the year there are anchovies, moscardini soup (baby octopus). There’s almost always the exceptional spaghetti with clams (with the delicious addition of zucchini in summer), fritto misto (fried fish or vegetables) and meat roasts of the day. But be careful, we’re still in the realm of brodetto (light broth). And what a brodetto it is!
Il brodetto di Sambenedettese
Those who live on the Adriatic know far too well that the brodetto is a serious matter and can vary a lot, even by just a few kilometers. In San Benedetto, where it’s called "lu vrudètte", it has that extra touch, because it is perhaps the most authentic and highly flavored version there is, certainly as far as brodetti from the Marche region is concerned. In fact, here the tomato sauce disappears, the quantity of white wine vinegar is increased and green tomatoes and peppers are added, better if a little unripe: this way the brodetto presents itself in all its essence, not covered by any other flavor but quite the reverse, putting acidity of the other ingredients to the test. Needless to say, at the Cantina di Sant'Agustino they prepare it as God commands, with fish that varies according to availability.
Minestra di buatti
Another noteworthy dish is minestrone buatti, which is usually prepared together with rice and busbane. These are two white rock fish, very common in the Adriatic, especially in spring, from April to June. Considered a poor fish, they are rarely used for various reasons, such as the presence of many thorns and its claimed ugliness, which to make fun they often say "si bello come nu buatto!". In reality these fish have an exceptional taste, particularly in this traditional soup that the Cantina offer in their own variation, just with with buatto and with the quadrucci of water and flour instead of rice; the fish is cooked in a sauté mixture of carrots, onion and celery, with the addition of water, oil, breadcrumbs, lemon, parsley, which continue to cook until the buatto flakes and its flavor filters through to the broth. In short, in this dish there is everything: the tradition of fishermen, the intimate flavors of a home by the sea, the delicacy of white fish and the skill of those who know exactly how to cook it.
Mel'Arancia, the blonde orange of the Piceno (and the marinades)
Another symbol of their love for the territory is the association of which they are part of, created to recover the blond orange tree of Piceno, the Mel'Arancia, as it is locally called. The first concrete news of the presence of these citrus fruits date back to the 14th century, when they were introduced by the Sicilians. The orange tree is part of the municipal coat of arms of Grottammare. Then, over time, they decreased until there remained few types, mainly for two reasons: the spread of cheap Sicilian and Calabrian oranges and too many tough winter frosts that killed the oranges from Massignano to San Benedetto. So today, also thanks to them and few others, the orange trees are returning to populate the Piceno coast without competing with the Sicilian or Calabrian ones. Even though they were brought from Sicily, they have been affected by the past years in the Piceno where, due to less sun and less heat they produce harsher fruits, particularly appreciated by the food industry for their higher vitamin C content compared to the sweeter ones from the south. Which makes them ideal for other preparations such as marinades, which are frequently used in the local cuisine.
This is the story of the Cantina di Sant'Agustino, a partial presentation of its founders and a brief account of its cuisine. But the story of Cantina di Sant'Agustino cannot simply be told, you have to experience it!