Caltanissetta has offered us a day full of culture, during which we travelled through time and discovered the priceless archaeological treasures that only "the little Athens" can offer. However, we are not yet satiated with beauty. We continue our excursion up the hills overlooking the heart of Sicily's countryside to find Villa Flora, a temple of refreshment that not only fills our eyes but also satisfies our desire for excellent Sicilian cuisine.
The Relais was born from the courageous and visionary dream of Flora Vullo and Dario Spinello, a couple of entrepreneurs, who wanted to create a 4-star hospitality structure, created to meet the need to welcome high-level international guests. The beautiful 18th century farmhouse has been restored by skilled hands, who have given modernity to the structure, for a stay in luxury, which until then was missing in the province of Caltanissetta.
The 8 rooms are elegantly furnished to welcome prestigious guests who can also make use of the splendid swimming pool and fully enjoy the best Sicilian food and wine at the restaurant inside the villa, Zàghara.
The name is inspired by the flower that grows in the citrus groves of Sicily: it was chosen as a symbol for its evocative characteristics, with an inconspicuous appearance but with an intoxicating fragrance that leaves its mark in the memories of those who catch it, just like the land that we are visiting. The fragrance of the flower has also been chosen for all the soaps in the hotel and is a red thread that embraces the structure and unites it in all its parts.
The restaurant offers traditional Sicilian dishes that chef Marco Calabrese reinvents in a modern key using only local raw materials of the highest quality. The à la carte menu is seasonal and designed to give hotel guests and diners a superior culinary experience.
We are welcomed with a sea bass tartare with almond milk, sweetened with toasted almonds and completed with a delicate candied lemon. The first surprises us with the special Spaghettone Cacio e Pepe from the recipe enriched with creaming with Tuma persa, mullet roe and lime zest.
We continue our gustatory experience with a Veal Tartare with toasted marrow, hazelnuts, truffles and balsamic pearls; and we cannot miss the opportunity to taste the Egg Poché finely placed on cream of peas, disc of scampi and completed by purple potato chips in a true triumph of flavors and bright colors that recall modern art in a dish.
The hazelnut Rocher completes the magnificent dinner, more than a dessert, a symphony of gustatory balances that harmonizes the salted caramel, the hazelnut ganache and the light milk praline in a dish presented like a precious sculpture.
A dinner that can only be defined as "Art" must be accompanied by wines of equally fine workmanship, for this we enter the exclusive "In Barrique" cellar, dug into the rock itself within the structure, whose elegant lines and design they carry inside a barrel. It is a timeless dimension, you must be able to live an almost mystical experience for those who love this world. Inside we find only prestigious labels, from local to international ones, to guarantee a wide choice to its selected clientele.
San Benedetto Millennium Water Antica Fonte della Salute was selected to complete Zàghara's vision of prestige and excellence. The lightness of a water originating from a millennial aquifer with only 0.0001% of nitrates accompanies the dishes of the refined tradition of the restaurant and the elegance of the glass format goes perfectly with that of the mise-en place, designed to be simple and refined.
Our visit to Villa Flora in the province of Caltanissetta comes to an end, but just like the flower, the Zàghara and the heady food and wine experience remain imprinted in our spirit like the beauty of the timeless lands of Sicily.
La Zàghara, Caltanissetta
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