The area of Bolgheri, in the municipality of Castagneto Carducci, is known all over the world for its exceptional wines, such as Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Masseto and Grattamacco but, as is well known, it is unwise to drink on an empty stomach. Fortunately for us, it’s not only the wineries to be exceptional in this area, but also the restaurants, in fact we had already mentioned two of the greatest culinary excellences of Bolgheri in a previous article and today we are going to study one in detail.
One of the main qualities of Osteria Magona is that a good part of what is served here doesn’t come from external suppliers, but is produced directly on site, under the watchful eye of the chef and owner Omar Barsacchi.
Guanciali, capocolli, spalle, pancette, prosciutti and all the other salumi come from white pigs that are raised a few kilometers away by Barsacchi’s brother Olaf, which are fed with cereals produced in the area and refined for the last two months with acorns and vegetable scraps from the family farm.
The chosen recipes are based on the traditions of Castagneto Carducci and the salumi are aged in one of the two cellars located in the restaurant's garden.
In the other cellar there are the cheeses, among which the raw milk pecorino aged for 40 days in grape pomace really stands out, produced by periodically renting a caseificio (a cheese-making facility) and then aging them on site. The milk that is used comes from the sheep on the surrounding hills.
In the entrance of the restaurant there is a small shop where you can purchase some of their specialty products, such as oil-packed artichokes and cauliflower, beef or wild boar meat sauce, traditional Tuscan bread-soups like ribollita and pappa al pomodoro, and cantuccini cookies to be dipped in vin santo - the very same ones that are served at the restaurant.
The menu is very rich. I particularly recommend the first courses of fresh homemade pasta, the main courses of meat, such as pigeon or steak, and artisanal ice cream reminiscent of Barsacchi’s past as a gelato-maker.
The beef comes from the world-famous butcher shop of Dario Cecchini, with whom Barsacchi has just opened Il Macello di Bolgheri right next-door to Osteria Magona. Here they serve a beef-centric menu which focuses on all of those cuts that were traditionally considered “poor”, but maybe were just misunderstood. They now find new life thanks to the philosophy of no-waste and valorization of the animal as a unique and whole being that has made Cecchini famous.
Follow Osteria Magona on Instagram to see some behind the scenes and consult their website www.osteriamagona.com to take a look at the menu and to learn further details.
Martina Bartolozzi
Martina is an Italian-American travel&food blogger born and raised in Florence. She spends most of her time exploring Italy and the world, eating delicious food and offering tips on where to find them.
You can find her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mementomartina/
Images sources: Martina Bartolozzi
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