Altrove

Piazza Aldrovandi is a place to stop, but also a place to pass through. Bustling and lively, from the early hours of the morning until late at night. Approaching from Via Guerrazzi, the right-hand side of the square is lined with food kiosks alternating with fruit and vegetable stalls.

Among them, the latest opening is Altrove, by Pierpaolo Petrone.

His idea of cooking is simple, Pierpaolo explains. It places ingredients at the centre, with the aim of bringing out their best while handling them as little as possible. This simplicity describes the starting point of the creative process, but not the process itself, as the techniques used to create balanced, visually appealing dishes, rich in flavour, are in fact those of fine dining.

One example is the tomato and watermelon tartare: fermented tomato is combined with watermelon marinated in gin, recreating the appearance of a classic tartare dressed with oil, salt and mustard. A basil mayonnaise, fried capers and thinly sliced watermelon rind complete the dish, engaging all the senses. The result is a rich dish, deceptive to the eye and explosive on the palate.

Making the most of ingredients also means using every part of them. And so, the leftover einkorn bread from the preparation of the toast becomes part of a pesto made with purslane, basil and fermented lemon. Another example is tomato skin, which is reused as a base for the ravioli.

Altrove’s plant-based cuisine offers a means of expression and a way of celebrating ingredients that are too often relegated to the role of a side dish.

As the seasons and availability change, so do the dishes, which are listed on the blackboard hanging outside. Creating, experimenting, offering a taste, erasing and then writing again: a continuous, cyclical process that keeps the menu alive, with creativity at its core.

Alongside Pierpaolo’s technical expertise and refined sense of taste, excellent dishes also require equally excellent ingredients. At Altrove, all the vegetables, dairy products, bread, honey and herbs come from local farmers, selected for the care they devote to their produce and for their low-impact approach to nature.

The wines are the exception, not because of ideology but because of provenance: the bottles at Altrove come from natural wine producers in the Benevento area and Ciociaria, the respective places of origin of Pierpaolo and his partner Claudia.

There is a great deal of him, and of them, in Altrove. “Everything that could happen, happened,” they say. But on September 3, Altrove finally opened its doors, and Pierpaolo’s project became a reality.

Where can you find it? In Piazza Aldrovandi, between Polpette e Crescentine and Sowl.

by Marella Chiodini

Cappellacci ripieni di sugo alla pizza marinara con salsa yogurt e polvere di pomodoro e melanzana.

Barber Leonardo Ciciarello (parrucchiere), Silvia Lex Underskin Tatoo (tatuaggi), Gelateria Stefino (gelateria), Forno Brisa (forno), Giuliana Vallone (architetto)