Gellius in Oderzo (Treviso), Italy: A Restaurant on the Ruins of the Roman Empire

Oderzo is a beautiful town in Treviso (Veneto) in the northern part of Italy, and about 60 kilometers northeast of Venice. It is in the heart of the Venetian plains, traversed by the Monticano River, halfway between the Dolomite Mountains and the Adriatic Sea. Historically, Opitergium, its ancient Latin name, played an important role in the ancient Roman Empire, leaving the center of the town rich with archaeological ruins from its foundation in 1100 B.C.

At the central core of the town is a Michelin-starred restaurant built on an archeological site from different epochs. From the ancient Roman Empire, Byzantine period and ruins of a Medieval castle and remnants of an 18th century tower which hosted the city prison. Abandoned in 1972 then twenty years later, Genesio Setten rebuilt it from its state of abandonment. In 1997, it opened its doors to everyone.

Gellius Restaurant was born amidst the restored ancient archeological site with Executive Chef Alessandro Breda at the helm of the kitchen from 2001. The restaurant stays inside the magnificent setting with its unique mixture of historical foundations and modern fixtures. The structure breathes a history of thousands of years as the dishes of Alessandro and his strong team of young chefs deliver doses of creative imagination to inspiring recipes. High standard in quality, respect to the seasonality of the raw materials of the territory and originality in the interpretation of the gastronomic tradition gained Gellius a great honor of being awarded a Michelin star in 2005.

Chef Alessandro Breda is a native of the province of Treviso and at the start of his young professional career has already joined the kitchen brigades of triple Michelin starred chefs. With the late Gualtiero Marchesi, Italy's father of modern Italian cuisine, he stayed for three years. Afterwards, he worked for three years in the kitchen of Chef Heinz Winkler at the Tantris Restaurant in Munich followed by a year in Florence at Enoteca Pinchiorri. Later on, he opened his own small restaurant, Il Capitello in the province of Treviso before he moved to the kitchen of Gellius to direct it.

Both photos from the Gellius website

Dining at Gellius is a characteristic experience. It has a polished ambience and at the same time cordial. The wine list is a remarkably interesting big collection of Italian and international labels with emphasis on the French ones.

The menu is based according to the availability of the seasonal ingredients. The price ranges of the dishes are as follows: appetizers have an average price of €24, first plates of pasta and rice between €20 to €25, seafood main courses between €35 to €40, meat main courses between €35 to €80 (wagyu beef), selection of cheese at €15, and desserts at €14. There is also an availability of tasting menus of different number of courses. 

The tasting menu of 5 courses costs €85, tasting menu of 5 courses with wine pairing is at €125, tasting menu of 7 courses is at €110 and tasting menu of 7 courses with wine pairing at €170.

Gellius Restaurant

Via Calle Pretoria, 6

31046 Oderzo (TV), Italy

Tel: +39 0422 713577

Email: info@ristorantegellius.it

Website: https://www.ristorantegellius.it/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RistoranteGellius/

Open daily from 10:30 to 02:00 / Mondays open from 18:00 onwards