Bistrot Collegio

Beneath the soaring, vaulted ceilings of the historic Palazzo Capranica, Bistrot Collegio’s towering walls, clad in an array of wines from the very best cellars, tell the story of an ancient passion.

It was on March 5th, 1914 in Amatrice, that the brothers Emidio, Isidoro and Antonio Santarelli drew up the charter of the company Ditta Berardino Santarelli & Figli, so named in honor of their father Berardino, a local wine merchant. In the 1930s the three brothers moved to Rome, taking over the ‘Vini e Olii’ (wine & oil) business in Piazza Capranica 99 which had belonged to the Grifoni family since 1860. Equipped with traditional expertise in the trading of top Italian and foreign labels, they subsequently opened a further eleven retail stores in the capital.

In 1955 Emidio‘s son, Dino Santarelli, founded the joint-stock company "Santarelli S.p.A, dedicated to the bottling of typical Lazio wines. The company became a true cornerstone of the region’s wine scene, so much so, that in 1967 Dino decided to establish a winery of his own - ‘Casale del Giglio’ - in the Agro Pontino plain, near the hamlet of Le Ferriere, in the province of Latina.

Over time, with the exception of the flagship store in Piazza Capranica, the ‘Vini e Olii’ were sold, so that the company could focus exclusively on wine production.

The ambitious Casale del Giglio project was then consolidated by Dino’s son Antonio in collaboration with the oenologist Paolo Tiefenthaler from the Trentino region. In the 1990s they launched a research and experimentation plan which enabled them to select the Italian and international vines most suited to the microclimate of the Agro Pontino. Particular attention was paid to the native vines of Lazio, rediscovered in areas adjacent to their estates, such as Biancolella from Ponza, Bellone from Anzio, Cesanese from Olevano Romano and Pecorino from Accumoli.

After almost a century the ancient ‘Vini & Olii’ of Piazza Capranica lives again, thanks to a skillful restoration that has given birth to the "Bistrot Collegio". The menus, inspired by the culinary traditions of Rome and Amatrice, aim to reintroduce the genuine flavors of the past through the use of top quality ingredients. The must-try pasta dishes include Amatrice Gnocchi Ricci with a mutton and pork rib ragout, Mezze Maniche alla Carbonara, alla Gricia, all'Amatriciana, as well as Tonnarelli "Cacio e Pepe" and Fettuccine with Coda alla Vaccinara (ox-tail) sauce, all paired with Casale del Giglio wines.

This is how the Santarelli family honors its origins and in so doing celebrates the perfect marriage of food and wine.