Highlighting Basilicata’s Finest Products at Taverna Re Manfredi in Matera, Italy

Posted by Rowena Dumlao Rowena Dumlao - Giardina 4/25/2020

Highlighting Basilicata’s Finest Products at Taverna Re Manfredi in Matera, Italy

Matera, Italy's city of ancient cave stone dwellings from the Paleolithic Age turned into one of the country's most extraordinary and unique travel destinations has a myriad of proposals for every person who walks on this breathtaking location. You can amaze yourself in walking through alleys, caves, and rupestrian churches and you can also take in the tradition of the land through its kitchen.

One of the places to discover the cuisine is Taverna Re Manfredi. Its central location is just a few steps from one of Matera's two districts, Sasso Caveoso, the southern part of the city where some of the finest rupestrian churches are adorned with well-preserved frescoes. Opened in 2019, the restaurant is a conducive place to stop and discover the local enogastronomic tradition of the area. Careful restoration maintained the ancient stone walls of the caves while the restaurant is furnished in minimal contemporary style. The original cave layout has been preserved creating various fascinating intimate dining rooms. On warm days, there are tables on the outdoor terrace facing the road.

The collaboration between a great chef, Fabrizio Albini, and an important wine producer, Re Manfredi, creates a restaurant that has a significant role in unveiling the enogastronomic tradition and of the area. It's a place where small producers and local artisans take centerstage on the tables where a genuine Lucanian journey can be experienced.

The kitchen is directed by Fabrizio Albini, an esteemed chef with extensive experience both nationally and internationally and who is also a member of Compagnia Degli Chef. He had previously worked in the kitchens of Cristallo, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Cappuccini Resort in Franciacorta and The Stage in Milan. He interprets the local gastronomy with a renewed perspective but sets a firm standard of quality as the foremost characteristic of the dishes. There is a great focal attention to the area's small producers and artisans for the exceptional raw materials of the Basilicata region.

Re Manfredi Wine Estate, a part of the Gruppo Italiani Vini, is a wine producer born in 1998 in the heart of the Aglianico del Vulture production disciplinary area in the region of Basilicata. It is located just a few kilometers from the town of Venosa with a total of 120 hectares of vineyards at the foot of the dormant volcano Vulture. It is primarily cultivated with Aglianico, the principal grape of the area.

The menu has a number of revisited creations using local flavors from appetizers to main courses priced between €14 to €18 and desserts at around €5. The wine list has over 80 labels from the region and from some Italian regions but over everything, Re Manfredi has a selection of special bottles in the restaurant's cave cellar.  