A warm, autumnal light filtered through the lime trees swaying in the wind.
Pumpkins, grapes and persimmons picked from the tree were being arranged on the table under the white and green striped
awning. Everything was almost ready to welcome the guests and the excitement was palpable.
Roberta, Elisa and Antonella met as hosts and guests at the Rocchi family restaurant Le Cantine del Gavi, founded by their father Alberto in Gavi in the 1970s and now a must-visit destination in the area for food lovers.
Antonella used to go to Gavi on holiday with her family and immediately fell in love with Le Cantine del Gavi, which embodies the area’s excellence for food and wine. The first thing that won her over was the garden, because she had the opportunity to eat outdoors in the summer and the welcoming atmosphere was taken care of in every detail, from the music to the mise en place, from the extensive wine list to every course of the delicious menu, to the kindness and care of the staff. It was thanks to this appreciation that Antonella decided to tell the story of the restaurant in 2022, in the second issue of Orlando, with an enthusiastic review. Years and projects later, Roberta and Elisa contacted Antonella again, having appreciated the Orlando project and the synergy that had been created between their worlds, united by the desire to do things well, with care and passion, and they began to talk about doing something different and new together. This is how the Cantine del Gavi Retreat was born, a two-day food
and wine, cultural, human and sensory exchange involving fascinating Italian creatives discovering the Gavi area.
From the famous and sweet illustrator Elisa Seitzinger and her partner Tommaso del Mastro, director of the creative agency
Undesign, to the extraordinary photographers Romina Rezza and Nicola Bertellotti, from the profound journalist and
disseminator of literature, cinema and psychology Marta Perego, to her partner, actor and producer Andrea Zirio (also
parents of an Orlando ;)), to the young and brilliant soprano and entrepreneur Viviana Nebuloni.
The common denominator of these creative guests, in addition to their overflowing artistic energy, was their kindness. All of
them are humane, humble and trusting people, ready to embark on unique and unusual adventures organised by Antonella, Roberta and Elisa.
On the first day, after a warm welcome and a light brunch, the Cantine del Gavi Retreat crew went to the Fort of Gavi, where they were entertained and educated by the encyclopaedic knowledge and passion of Professor Pagliantini, who shared
with them the history and most curious and fascinating anecdotes about the Fort and the town of Gavi: from Genoese power to the Savoy dynasty and the incredible escape of
prisoner Jack Pringle.
The professor then guided them to the thousand-year-old church of San Giacomo, where he recounted its artistic and architectural history. They then continued along the town’s main street, Via Mameli, and finally went to the restaurant where they were involved in several interesting experiences.
First, Roberta made everyone set to work learning the recipe for authentic ravioli, originally from Gavi, specifically from the Raviolo family.
Roberta set up her professional kitchen to welcome the guests and allow them to prepare their own ravioli, equipped with a
wonderfully curated kit: from personalised aprons for the Retreat to pasta cutters and a wonderful recipe book created and bound by Roberta herself, including old newspaper clippings and anecdotes about her family life growing up with
her sister Elisa in the restaurant.
After the cooking workshop, guests moved to the garden to enjoy a moment of relaxation, exploring the well-tended secret garden, with climbing ivy that changed colour from green to the brightest vermilion. After this, the crew moved to the restaurant’s impressive wine cellar, which houses more than 8,000 bottles, including 1,500 labels, the result of over 40 years of selection, tasting and a desire to promote the local area. A cellar that is also a tribute to Gavi DOCG: it contains all the producers from the 1970s onwards, demonstrating that Gavi is capable of ageing in the cellar just like the most prestigious white wines. In the cellar, Luca Maria Ivaldi, expert sommelier and partner of Elisa Rocchi, guided the group through an interesting tasting of Gavi wines, commenting on:
-the classic method of Il Poggio, vintage 2017, disgorged in 2024,
-Bruno Broglia 2016,
-Castellari Bergaglio Rovereto 2014,
-Scortese from Soltufo 2023.
As if they hadn’t drunk enough, the evening continued in the bar room of the restaurant with the expert and very friendly barman Lakshan Hansika , who revealed some of the secret ingredients of his mixology, taught us how to make the perfect AmeriGavi (delicious) and gave us a taste of some amazing concoctions, many of which are extracted from herbs and fruits from the restaurant’s garden. Nothing is left to chance… The crew had the opportunity to sip their cocktails in the snow room, a cosy circular room that, like a cocoon, houses the preserves, jams, cured meats, that they make themselves.
The evening reached its climax with dinner served by Cantine del Gavi in the main hall, which was once a chapel with barrel
vaults. The restaurant’s founder, Alberto Rocchi, father of Roberta and Elisa, made a brief appearance to welcome the
guests. They were enchanted by the seven-course tasting menu, created by Jelel El Abchir and Gabriel Cecconi, together
with the Rocchi sisters, which offered:
Welcome: battered Jerusalem artichoke flowers with spicy
mayonnaise and fried vegetable cigarillos,
Toast with sardines, salsa verde and fresh goat’s cheese,
Cooked and raw mushrooms,
Melted leek, beurre blanc and sorrel,
Pumpkin tortellini (with Gavi amaretti and mostarda), 45 month aged Parmesan cream,
Rabbit with peppers and hazelnuts,
Vanilla ice cream and salted caramel.
All accompanied by a Minaia, Nicola Bergaglio’s black label, and a Barbera d’Alba by Giuseppe Rinaldi 2023.
The dining room and the entire restaurant were embellished with floral arrangements by Stefania Grimaldi from Il Fiore
shop in Gavi.
More than satisfied and serene, the group retired to their apartments for herbal tea and the last sleepy chats of the evening.
Early the next morning, the crew enjoyed a nutritious breakfast, again provided by the restaurant, with breads, jams and dreamy biscuits made by Elisa and her team. Regenerated, the guests were amazed by an unexpected
surprise: they boarded a shiny 1976 Volkswagen van to set off on a new adventure: an experiential walk in the Mornese pine forest, led by Francesca Marchelli, a hiking guide, yoga and meditation teacher, who took them to Castello Casaleggio-Boiro, nicknamed the castle of the Innominato, after a film based on the Promessi Sposi of Manzoni was shot there in the past.
After picking up the Volkswagen van, the crew headed to the thousand-year-old Abbey of San Remigio, where Francesco
Bergaglio, an expert and charismatic oenologist who lives and works in Napa Valley but grew up in Gavi, guided the guests
through an unusual wine tasting accompanied by essences and music. Francesco provided the essences and involved the
guests in a game to identify them and whether they could find them in the wine. Antonella chose a number of very different
pieces of music, from the Prelude to Wagner’s Lohengrin to Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Elvis Presley’s All Shook Up and Led Zeppelin’s Baby I’m Gonna Leave You. As the music changed, the guests noticed that certain notes in the wine changed, with some facets coming to the fore rather than others.
The abbey had been decorated with great care to reflect the natural surroundings outside, with plant arrangements
brought inside, harmonised by Luca Bergaglio and Floricoltura il Girasole in Pozzolo.
The crew then moved on to the last stop of the Retreat, the imposing and fascinating Villa Centuriona, owned by the Nattino family since the first half of the 20th century. Once again, Professor Pagliantini recounted the history of the Villa, between the Vatican and creative madness (a girl from a family that had previously lived there had been declared insane and had decorated the tower where she lived with very evocative murals).
The second day ended with a lunch offered by Cantine del Gavi, thanks to their 1970s Citroen food truck, which joined the group at the Centuriona.
Before leaving, guests were able to take away a small souvenir, a bottle of Gavi wine, in addition to their Retreat shopper bag (Toro&Moro), which was filled with many unique gifts: the materials used in the kitchen during the workshop, a tin of
flour from Mulino Sobrino, a wonderful booklet, created by Renza Baiardi with recycled paper and bound by hand,
summarising the key moments of the Retreat, and a special necklace with a ceramic ravioli-shaped pendant, created by Piotr Polak, a Polish craftsman living in Gavi, finished with a gold chain by Manikine di Meri Arecco and Giorgia Tacchino.
It was a truly unique human, creative and sensory experience, and Orlando and Cantine del Gavi will not stop there in their
collaboration. To be continued.
We encourage to keep an eye on Roberta and Elisa fabulous restaurant and don’t miss your chance to visit them for a sunday lunch or a special dinner you deserve.
If you like to discover more about their approach to food and their unique recipes reserve your spot for an unmissable cooking class, contacting the restaurant on the phone (+39 0143 642458/+39 334 9101449 ) via email: cantinedelgavi@gmail.com or through their instagram profile.
If you are a wine enthusiast and you can’t wait to discover more about the Gavi wines, through different vintages, Cantine del Gavi is ready to welcome you and to let you experience surprising wines in their ancient barrel-vaulted cellars.
You will also have a chance to plan a mixology workshop with Lashan Hansika who will teach you secret ingredients for your cocktails at home. Or you will also be able to hang out for an aperitivo at Cantine del Gavi and enjoy their delicious cocktail, like the AmeriGavi.
Finally, if you would like to have a unique event for your friends and family, keep in mind that Cantine del Gavi offers catering services with their vintage Citroên food truck. An event with a vintage food truck can only be successful!
Thanks to
Villa La Centuriona, Castello Casaleggio Boiro, Abbazia di San Remigio (comune di Parodi)
B&B Casa Meli @casa_meli ,Casa Vegia B&B @cavegia_casaleggio_boiro
Francesca Marchelli @yogin_nel_bosco (Experiential walk),
“Il fiore” di Stefania Grimaldi @ilfioredistefania (Flowers and cloth Ravioli)
@ceramiczar (Ravioli necklace),
Le Manikine @lemanikine (Necklace finish)
Prof Pagliantini,
Renza Crea @renzacrea (Cantine del Gavi booklets),
Luca Bergaglio @lucabergaglio (piante Il Girasole @floricolturagirasole),
Francesco Bergaglio @francescobergaglio (Olfactorium tasting),
Toro&Moro @toroemoro (Aprons and shoppers)
Molino Sobrino @mulinosobrino (Flour)
The amazing team of Cantine del Gavi restaurant @cantinedelgavi .
Wines by:
Bruno Broglia 2016 @brogliagavi;
Castellari Bergaglio Rovereto 2014 @castellaribergaglio_gavi ;
Scortese dell’azienda Soltufo 2023 metodo classico @soltufovinosenzafiltri ; il Poggio millesimato 2017 sboccatura 2024 @ilpoggiodigavi
A special Thanks to who joined us for this retreat: Marta Perego, Andrea Zirio, Elisa Seitzinger, Tommaso Del Mastro, Romina Rezza, Viviana Nebuloni, Nicola Bertellotti
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