Credits: cucinaevini.it
by
Valentina Venturato
January 28, 2019
A hospitality project aimed at bringing together the great excellences of the food, wine, and wellness world could not help but involve the Iaccarino family, linked to the property by a thirty-year friendship, to outline, from the very beginning, the design of what has recently become one of the most significant examples of excellence in the luxury hospitality world in Italy.
Just a few days ago, the San Barbato Resort Spa & Golf opened in Lavello – near some of the most beautiful and appreciated tourist destinations in Basilicata, such as Matera and Melfi, and the Monticchio Lakes area – nestled in a six-hectare park within the natural scenery of Monte Vulture. This unique property features an original design and unparalleled spaces, where guests can experience a true sensory journey.
Uniqueness is indeed the hallmark of all aspects of the San Barbato Resort Spa & Golf, including the Don Alfonso 1890 San Barbato, which replicates in Basilicata a century-old tradition of hospitality and unmistakable identity, passed down from generation to generation. The world of Don Alfonso 1890 is deeply tied to the territory and its millennia-old food traditions, innovated with respect, offering guests not just a culinary experience but also a journey through culture and history.
The shared value of quality has been the guiding thread in the selection of ingredients for this establishment, without overlooking the history of the territory and the local food production heritage, which is among the richest and most varied in Italy.
Thanks to the vast mountainous areas of the region, dairy production is very active – with excellent cheeses such as Filiano pecorino, canestrato pecorino, podolico caciocavallo, and burrata – and fruit and vegetable production is also thriving – worth mentioning are the Sarconi beans, Senise peppers, and a surprising black truffle. The meats are of high quality, particularly lamb; the wine offerings, though still less known, are not to be missed – such as the Aglianico del Vulture.
The menu at Don Alfonso 1890 San Barbato reflects the richness of this heritage, with numerous examples, including the Laticauda lamb served with a variation of Mediterranean herb crust and aioli (a garlic sauce similar to mayonnaise). This is a particularly lean meat (despite the fat accumulated in the tail), low in cholesterol, and with a exquisite flavor.
In the splendid and luminous kitchen, one can sense the enthusiasm that the family patriarch Alfonso has passed down to his sons, Mario, a confident and discreet maestro in welcoming and guiding guests, and Ernesto – the first Italian, in 2016, to hold the position of European president of Jeunes Restaurateurs d’Europe – a skilled helmsman with expert and modern techniques but a typically Neapolitan touch that “puts his heart into it.”
But the Iaccarino family’s imprint is not only evident in the gourmet restaurant, elegant and refined with its marble and soft black tones, overlooking the scenic Dancing Fountain in the garden through a spectacular glass wall. It also extends to the Terrazza Bellavista – unique in the world, signed by the prestigious partner Bellavista Franciacorta Spumanti – where guests can enjoy a breathtaking panorama and indulge in offerings from breakfast to light lunch, from after-hours to light dinner, all characterized by the same simple, excellent naturalness.
Moreover, equally simple and natural, though inimitable, is the entire dining room organization and the hospitality reserved for guests.
The extreme precision and great rigor that all members of the Iaccarino family embody are also reflected in the wedding & banqueting offerings, which are tailored each time according to requests, completing the San Barbato Resort Spa & Golf’s offerings, making them not only truly extensive but, above all, unique.
