Between antique art, nature and genuine tastes, for an complete Sicilian adventure

"Small in size against that of the cultivated plain sprinkled with hard-working farmers; her house is dominated by the beautiful clear water lake and by the florid earth on which the cultivated fields and the rich pastures are designed".

With this poetic representation of the place of his childhood, Giuseppe Tomasi of Lampedusa, in his masterpiece the Gattopardo so described Argivocale the scenic town of Donna Rosa, our Cesarina. Region of Monreale, Argivocale is the "navel" of Sicily, so close to Palermo that she hears its breath, and not far from the archaeological excavations of Monte Jato identified as the indigenous centre of Iaitas. The finds have given light to traces of an elima city and a theatre that could hold around 4.400 people together with the agorà, a temple to Aphrodite and a Greek residence which are all wonders to be discovered.

Besides the art this event proposes a genuine journey absorbed in a landscape of green grasslands and crops that extend to the foot of Monte Jato, forming a kaleidoscope of colours. Our Cesarina conducts us along the rediscovery of typical dishes created with many ingredients that originate exclusively originate agro-zootecnica family farm.

Donna Rosa receives her guests in a rustic farmhouse offering as an appetizer dried tomatoes with green and black olives seasoned with garlic, chilli pepper, oregano and extra virgin olive oil, a variety of home made cheeses such as the caciotta a pasta filata, the pecorino with pepper or with chilli pepper and the tasty zabbina, warm ricotta with serum accompanied by bread made with hard wheat flour which is cooked in a firewood oven. Farming dishes, simple and traditional deriving from the culinary culture created by the ploughed and cultivated earth.

As a first course Rosa proposes anellini al forno, flavoured with the family made ricotta and by hard boiled eggs.

The conviviality continues with a perfumed roast lamb prepared by Donna Rosa to satisfy also the most demanding of palates. The lamb is flavoured with rosemary, sage, onion and pepper and basted with two glasses of white wine produced from the vineyards adjoining the farm. In accompaniment, roast potatoes.

At the end of this journey, one of the favourite tastes of Sicily, the cannoli siciliani which are prepared with the day's fresh ricotta.