BY CAROL J. COLLER
The house and lands of Fontelunga have been in Lucia Catani’s family for more than two centuries, with a part of the house itself dating to 1491. From the moment the Catani family purchased the property at the end of the seventeenth century, “every member of my family was born and grew up here”, says Lucia.
This is a spacious property in the neighborhood of Montalla near Cortona, named for a “fonte lunga” or a spring. In this pastoral setting, amid the fields and streams of the valley, Lucia and her husband Luca have just opened a new and inviting restaurant under the trees of the villa’s garden, named for an imaginary storyteller, “Barbabì”.
This relaxing and welcoming spot is ideal to visit for an aperitif in the cool shade, or to have a delicious dinner with friends or family. Barbabì’s menu includes genuine, “kilometer zero” local products, but this is no rustic restaurant. Barbabì strives to give a fresh twist to some traditional dishes, with some new seasonal offerings such as game dishes. Specialties include charcuterie boards both traditional and innovative, and lasagnas that change according to the seasonal foods available or foods fresh from the vegetable garden that day. And the restaurant is also an inclusive place, with an ambience that will please both younger people and families with children.
The idea for Barbabì grew out of a culinary tradition already in place with the cooking school of Lucia’s mother, chef and cookbook writer, Donatella Balducci. Donatella has always had a love for the creation of beautiful food. Her “Gustasapori”, which is also present on the Fontelunga estate since 2000, offers cooking lessons for whomever wishes to learn to make delicious Tuscan dishes and the cooking school will be working in tandem with Barbabì.
Luca, who is in charge of managing Barbabì, has structured the business to also accommodate special events. Apart from the usual availability for parties and weddings, there will be space made for special cultural events ( in the tradition of storyteller Barbabì) at the restaurant, from live music to poetry readings. This is certainly something of a departure from the usual local restaurant and so there is another good reason to book a table for a memorable evening under the sparkling strings of lights which adorn the canopy of trees at Barbabì.
Info e prenotazioni: c.s. 747, Montalla (Ar) / Tel. 346 0165025