Our passion for beauty and taste in Sicily continues in Mazara del Vallo, an enchanted village where time seems to have stopped and the historic streets tell tales of a past when the region hosted different cultures and spoke different languages.
The famous statue of the Dancing Satyr from the Hellenic period, which gives the village its nickname of "the City of the Satyr", looks down on us with its incredibly well-preserved eyes as we cross the squares and streets of the historic center and head towards our destination of flavor: Altavilla restaurant.
We are in front of a building that used to be an ancient refectory of the Episcopal Seminary dating back to 1579. The restaurant faces the square, borders the Cathedral of Santissimo Salvatore, and chose a round-arched portico as its symbol.
Let’s meet Roberto Giacalone, who along with his brother Vito performed a miracle restoring the ancient refectory that had been abandoned at the mercy of birds, mice, and the centuries’ neglect, to its original purpose of hospitality and dining.
The story of the Giacalone brothers started with the fish trade and in particular red shrimp and scampi, which allowed them to open a fish shop in 2000 and a takeaway fish delicatessen in 2014. The idea of a restaurant was never far away, because as suppliers, they had grown the passion behind the scenes.
Finally in 2019 comes the decision to open Altavilla. Inspired by the exceptional location, Roberto Giacalone tells us that the idea was to focus on quality, first-choice ingredients, fineness, and elegance.
These ancient and large spaces were divided into different rooms for hosting all types of gatherings such as large celebrations, corporate events, private dinners, family dinners, or romantic dinners for a selected clientele who expect to find only the best of Sicilian fresh fish.
The most popular dishes here are undoubtedly the crudités. The art of transforming raw fish into a masterpiece of tartare and fine dishes is the true specialty of Altavilla, which boasts its raw fish such as the red shrimp of Mazara del Vallo, caught and blast-chilled by the fishing boats of the Giacalone brothers.
The freshest shrimps are not the only king of their menu, 0-mile ingredients such as prawns, tuna, and amberjack are all must-tries. This is because the Altavilla fish experts want to honor all sorts of Sicilian seafood cuisine between innovation and tradition.
A gastronomy experience of this type is paired with fine labels specifically chosen to match each dish. Some are French, others come from Trentino, and especially Sicilian regions, such as Etna, Agrigento, and Marsala.
Altavilla has chosen the water just as valuable to match its fine dishes: San Benedetto Millennium Water brings a balanced taste with less than 0.0001% nitrates from a millenary aquifier in an elegant bottle that made the Giacalone fall in love with it.
Sicily, rich in the scents and flavors of the Mediterranean Sea, welcomed us wholeheartedly at Altavilla where we discovered quality, freshness, and art on a culinary journey between the modern elegance and the millenary history of Mazara del Vallo.
Ristorante Altavilla, Mazara del Vallo (TP)
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