A new chapter is about to begin in the life of our location: a complete makeover aimed at making the most of our history, art and culture as well as promoting our transition to an eco-friendly, ethical and naturalistic existence, but as always centered on the very best Italian produce! Casina Valadier is now synonymous with a green and healthy lifestyle, thanks to its new menu prepared by chef Massimo D’Innocenti. The magic atmosphere of our wonderful Hortus Bar & Bistrot Garden is ready and waiting for the city as it comes to life again!

A new green-oriented look characterizes this Roman architectonic jewel set in the heart of Villa Borghese. Casina Valadier celebrates the beginning of the 2020s by promoting an eco-friendly and ethical tone aimed at safeguarding and diffusing the socio-artistic-cultural-architectonic, as well as gastronomic, heritage of this iconic location; marked by its centuries-long history.

Every corner exhales beauty and perfection from the Roman hortus and the gens Acilia  within the Aurelian walls, to the intricate underground passageways and the Roman cistern, built to supply the fountains and thermal baths with water in the Imperial Age; from the Renaissance, with the cultivation of vegetable gardens and vineyards by the 16th century Augustinian Friars, to the baroque period with the construction of the villa itself and its entire layout together with the lush green garden.

Casina Valadier has written a new chapter in its history and is preparing the foundations for a future where cuisine, events, hospitality and wedding parties shape an agenda aimed at the valorization of agri-food ethics and eco-friendly hospitality. 

Environmental Sustainability, envisaged as the need to recreate one’s own roots by living in closer contact with nature, can be an important element of progress, especially in a city like Rome, the European town with the highest number of green areas.

Situated in the park land of Villa Borghese on the Pincian Hill, one of the capital’s green ‘lungs’, ( once an area of vineyards and vegetable gardens in days long gone by), Casina Valadier is a Neoclassical architectonic jewel, built in the 19th century on the remains of an ancient cistern and designed to be a kind of food court in line with Parisian bistros, it has become one of Rome’s most iconic cafès.

THE PROJECT: SUSTAINABILITY, ETHICS, AWARENESS, MADE IN ITALY

A timeless and magical location, rich in history and tradition and characterized by a unique charm, Casina Valadier has embarked on a new decade-long journey (from 2020 to 2030), beginning in the Spring and Summer of 2021, to embrace a ground-breaking idea of culture, taste and entertainment, following a contemporary vision founded on four essential elements: sustainability, ethics, awareness and culture and the valorization of Made in Italy. 

Achieving 100% sustainability was our first goal and it helped create a harmonious and balanced relationship with the surrounding environment, fostering the identification of the aforementioned essential elements as the new dogmas of the structure. 

Casina Valadier’s makeover has given shape to the idea of a much-needed change for the overall idea of the city, especially by the Roman themselves, offering a range of opportunities to establish a new standard of hospitality. This “small revolution” has transformed this historical building into an incubator of ideas for a better environment.

Taste, meant as culinary pleasure, comes first and foremost with the added importance of a strictly “from farm to fork” approach in the gastronomic and enological production chain, under the watchful eye of chef Massimo D’Innocenti. It involves the opportunity for cultural enrichment thanks to a renewed interest in the past entailing, apart from the discovery of the artistic and cultural value of the structure, the disclosure, study and conservation of Roman history: for example, the fermentation and conservation methods used by the Romans to render their recipes more sapid.

Furthermore, the culinary experience will involve the study and planning of a demonstrative vineyard, following on from a historiographic analysis of the Roman and the Augustinian Brothers’ vineyards and their cultivating methods, in partnership with ‘Tre Botti’ and the University of the Tuscia. 

Great attention will also be paid to health, intended both as physical wellness, through a study of menus and drinks aimed at creating a more balanced intake, and as a general improvement of a person’s well-being through activities of personal and social empowerment: for example, inspirational and motivational talks for professional-oriented creative mornings, yoga and meditation sessions on the green lawn. 

Today’s dynamic high-quality offer is flexible and, at the same time, inspirational and glamourous. It offers a visitor-oriented experience involving authentic activities, which are a perfect reflection of the values represented by the new Casina Valadier.  The overall idea is also an expression of the evolution of its own concept, with refined values and healthy lifestyles for customized, authentic and engaging experiences that offer a full immersion in a wholesome, clean, safe and protected environment, without having to go out of town !

Open to everyone with a Green pass, Casina Valadier’s is ready to go with its specialty of outdoor events and weddings, in the spacious and flower-filled garden, where celebrating precious moments safely with friends and family is now possible.

CHEF MASSIMO D’INNOCENTI’S CUISINE

A haven of well-being, whose strength, apart from the events and ceremonies, is undoubtedly the restaurant Vista, where the produce is carefully selected following ethical protocols: only seasonal ingredients are purchased from eco-friendly local producers who use sustainable production systems. Resident chef,  Massimo D’Innocenzi, gives shape to this new culinary vision with his menu based on a short food supply chain and a vertical garden with fruit, vegetables and herbs, one step beyond the idea of zero km food. Furthermore, the new “no waste” programme provides for the reduction of waste and respect for the vegetable kingdom, enhancing quality and fostering self-sufficiency with solely home-made preparations.

The culinary experience offered by restaurant Vista involves the re-interpretation of the refined but essential classics of Roman cuisine starting with the research of the best local producers, farmers and fishermen, to ensure the use of seasonal and fresh local products.

The chef’s dishes show an instinctive understanding of flavours, in an exaltation of taste and environmental issues. There is also the rediscovery of ancient preparation techniques, like fermentation, used by the Romans to enhance the sapidity and wholesomeness of their dishes. Together with his team, the chef has designed a perfectly balanced menu where taste meets health, using preparation techniques that preserve the nutritional properties of each product and enhance its organoleptic features.