In the midst of the grass, beneath the trees, in the grey vases of the hollows, white, gold and purple brush-strokes might be glimpsed; above his head the trees were all pink and white and everywhere the flap of wings, the softest of sounds, buzzes and sweet scents could be heard and smelt.

The Secret Garden,
Frances Hodgson Burnett

You will be entering into an imposing seventeenth-century palazzo. Far off, the notes of “Mi sono innamorato di te” by Luigi Tenco, will wrap around you and bewitch you, guiding you as you walk until you reach a flight of stairs and, at that point, you will tip-toe into an atmosphere imbued with dreams. A secret garden, scattered with herbs, shrubs in blossom and fruit trees. Each and every corner is furnished rustically, yet elegantly. Nothing is left to chance. Pots of flowers and herbs, picked in the garden, have been placed on every table. Mats made of rope under the dishes in the simplest, palest of whites. Tables made of iron are both linear and essential in style. Get ready to leave the world behind you and to be amazed at such unique combinations.

A family story. A story set in Italy.
Three principal regions: Piedmont, Liguria and Emilia.
Three main ingredients and how they are prepared: meat, wild greens and herbs, vegetables of the season and fresh or stuffed pasta.

The father, Alberto Rocchi and his daughters, Roberta and Elisa have gathered up – in the most masterly of fashions – the traditions of Italy’s most genuine and most savoury cooking. Since 1977, the cooking has been so very finely creative, so delicately cultivated and forever seasonal and local. It is in this very place that you will taste, eat and dream the most fascinating part of Piedmont, the hills of Gavi.

Roberta and Elisa grew up in the kitchen. They learnt from their grandmother – on their father’s side – all of the secrets revolving around preparing food and rolling out the pasta. Above all, however, they have understood the legacy of hospitality, the art of making their guests feel at home. Roberta and Elisa are attentive and reserved. They are two “resilient” women who give all of themselves – as women, mothers and cooks – in the kitchen.

Accompanying them is Luca Maria Ivaldi, a sommelier who has harvested the legacy of Alberto’s wine cellar and has innovated it and enlarged it with intelligence and awareness of all that lies within it. He has also not ignored the smaller producers and has made a careful selection of their wines.
Luca passionately explains to his guests the merits of each and every bottle. I would recommend you all to ask him for the correct wine for each course that you order.

The restaurant has an age-old wine cellar and a storage for ice. The Wine List is the result of over forty years of experience in wine selection and tastings and of the innate desire to further value the surrounding area. 8000 bottles
and approximately 1500 labels. Next to the Conternos and the Gajas – if you are longing for a vertical wine tasting from the 1960’s to the 1990’s you have found yourself in the right place – there are famous names like Quintarelli, Biondi Santi, Ceretto, Bruno Giacosa and Bartolo Mascarello as well as, in addition, Krug, Cristal and Don Perignon champagnes.
This particular wine list is also a fine tribute to the Gavi DOCG wines. It has contained all of the area’s wine producers since the 1970’s: true confirmation, if any was needed, that the Gavi DOCG has been able to withstand long years being kept, often forgotten, in the wine cellar, just like those other higher-end, more famous, upper crust white wines.

However, it’s not all about wine, obviously. There is also a whole host of exquisite and exotic cocktails for an aperitif or during dinner. Lashan Hansika, born in Sri Lanka, lived in Dubai for ten years and worked for a long time at the Buddha Bar. Lashan is an easy-going, approachable young man with broad international professional experience. He will guide you skilfully, in one wholly unique experience, through the world of mixology.

In the garden in the summer months, you will be in for a surprise. There will be an old-fashioned vintage truck inside which the Rocchi family will move the kitchen! It will become visible for all to see with all of those most succulent aromas gathering around the tables set out in the garden.

Music is also of the utmost importance when creating such a very unique wine and food experience. The choice of music is dream-like, romantic and happy-go-lucky, with Italian classics like Conte and Dalla to Edith Piaf and
from Mannarino to Luz Casal. Each single note will transport you into another dimension and you will not be able to resist coming back to this secret garden in Gavi.

LITTLE SECRET

You can eat in the wine cellar upon reservation. In the summer, beneath the pergola, the Cantine del Gavi is offering a highly convivial French meat-based dinner: “la charbonnade”.

UNMISSABLE COURSES:

.Risotto al Gavi

An old recipe from the local area which uses, as its main ingredient, this great Piedmontese white wine. Alberto Rocchi has became famous for his risotto.

.Ravioli a culo nudo

Wrapped inside a white linen cloth, these are the typical ravioli from Gavi, hand-made and simply drained of their cooking water, with no condiment whatsoever.

.A Fassona beef escalope and the giardiniera (mixed pickled vegetables)

This Piedmontese recipe is like an artist’s palette with a stroke or two of colour and the giardiniera, of course, is truly and only home-made.

.Ice Cream

Try it! I dream of it all year long! Very, very creamy, served with the salted caramel or with seasonal fruit’s sauce,  to be enjoyed at each scoop, every time mouthful.