Restaurant 'Cucina', Abruzzo, Italy: Where History Comes to Life

An intimate glimpse into Sextantio Cucina at Santo Stefano, where historic architecture meets candle-lit dining, blending local traditions with innovative Italian cuisine (image Sextantio).

The team behind the renowned Sextantio project, and the unique revival of the once-abandoned mountain village of Santo Stefano in Italy's Abruzzo region, continues to innovate. Their latest venture, restaurant Sextantio Cucina, revives the region's history. Spearheaded by a celebrated local chef, it demonstrates how honouring the past through inspiring cuisine can lead to a promising future.

Many restaurants and eateries now use local ingredients. But, truly understanding the cultural and culinary heritage of those ingredients or regional dishes is something else. Turns out, visitors at the new Restaurant Sextantio Cucina in Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Italy, can expect exactly that. Because here, nestled in the mountains east of Rome, chef Dino Como and his team are redefining Italian cuisine. By rediscovering the rich flavours and history of the Abruzzo region, with the help from the local Museum of the People of Abruzzo (Museo delle Genti d'Abruzzo), they present diners a truly unique and enriching experience, and also help ensure that old stories are not forgotten.

Territory, Memory, Research

Cucina, part of the revitalised village of Santo Stefano, is led by Chef Como and his team, who focus on 'territory,' 'memory,' and 'research.' Collaborating with local museum experts, they blend ethnographic research with modern cooking, enhancing the unique Sextantio Albergo Diffuso hospitality experience. This approach, which has helped revive the once-forgotten village, proves that respect for the past can truly stimulate the future. Now, the restaurant is carrying that forward.

Renowned Chef Dino Como stands in his rustic kitchen, where he embraces his roots as he crafts a unique culinary style inspired by the flavours of his region.

Chef Como: Leading from the Heart

Chef Como, who's 36, hails from Palena in Abruzzo. After working for fifteen years and climbing the ranks with Niko Romito, a fellow Abruzzo chef with three Michelin stars, Como has chosen to stick around his home region. He says this lets him craft his own special culinary vibe: a cuisine rooted in tradition that resonates with the present.

The unique food at this new restaurant is really hitting the mark for today's tastes, say the team behind the Sextantio project. It's all about what they call a territorial identity, which is getting harder to find because of global tourism. Plus, they mention, it taps into what many of us are craving now: a simpler way of life.

Abruzzo, Italy: Our Land

The team at Sextantio sees 'Cucina' as the perfect next step in their mission to keep the history of Santo Stefano di Sessanio not just alive but thriving. After all, the person who brought this village back from the brink, Daniele Kilghren, is now a world-famous, one-of-a-kind visionary and village saviour. "Our research uncovered over seventy previously untranscribed recipes thanks to stories from the older locals," Kilghren shared with Perspective Living. He added: "They are living guardians of a nearly extinct cultural world."

"Our research uncovered over seventy previously untranscribed recipes thanks to stories from the older locals. They are living guardians of a nearly extinct cultural world."

A museum collaboration with Sextantio ensures the revival of regional culinary traditions, capturing historic kitchen practices and the art of handmade cooking in vivid detail (image courtesy of the Museum of the People of Abruzzo).

Forgotten Fruits & Poor Cuisine

So, what can we find in this one-of-a-kind kitchen up in the mountains of Abruzzo? Well, for starters, it's all about self-sufficiency, using ingredients like legumes, wild herbs, and 'forgotten fruits,' explain the Sextantio creators. This style of 'poor cuisine' sticks to the calendar of the ancient 'agro-pastoral' way of farming (a system between communities, crops, and livestock), where festive times mean plenty of food, the team further explains. The recipes, usually meant to be shared, come from sensory experiences that have been passed down through generations by word of mouth.

A table set with an array of traditional and mouthwatering desserts from the Sextantio Cucina kitchen, showcasing generations of culinary heritage.

Keeping our Past Vibrant

According to the Sextantio team, their new Italian cuisine venture owes its success to chef Dino Como. They mention that he mixes technical know-how with a real feel for ingredients and the local area. Dino's talent lies in bringing back age-old dishes while keeping their original flavour and authenticity. This means he really 'gets' the often rare or overlooked ingredients that usually get lost in the shuffle of mass production, as Kihlgren points out.

"The fifteen years spent alongside Niko Romito were the most important part of my training," Dino Como himself explains. "From him I learned diligence, purity of taste, and respect for the ingredient. But my challenge today is different: to write a cuisine that is truly my own. I start from what I have learned, and I carry it with me, but not to repeat it. I want that knowledge to grow within a personal vision, one born from my land and its character."

"I start from what I have learned, and I carry it with me, but not to repeat it. I want that knowledge to grow within a personal vision, one born from my land and its character."

Lush rows of ancient seeds and rare fruits thrive under the careful guidance of an agronomist, set against a picturesque rural backdrop.

Self Production

At the restaurant, 'self-production' plays a crucial role in daily operations. The vegetables are obtained from Sextantio’s garden or nearby small farms. With the guidance of an agronomist—following the general Sextantio ethos, which is diligent work with attention to detail—the team grows ancient seeds and rare fruits. The meat is sourced from extensive farms where animals are raised outdoors in natural conditions. Wines are selected from small producers who emphasise spontaneous fermentation and minimal intervention.

Territory, Memory and Research: the pillars of a new perspective in cuisine

Mountain Cuisine

The three local-history pillars Sextantio Cucina is based on are expressed through a 'mountain cuisine,' using essential raw materials and ingredients, which chef Como elevates with techniques that preserve their true nature, explains the Sextantio team.

Every dish goes beyond traditional Italian cuisine, aiming for deep flavours and balanced textures. It captures a clear expression, using a "gastronomic language" where hard work meets sensitivity, mixing old traditions with future ideas, all in line with the Sextantio vibe, the team concludes.

"Staying in Abruzzo was a natural choice," rounds off Como, "here I know the seasons, the silences, the living matter from which everything begins. Here I can express my identity, in coherence with the values of the Sextantio project."

"Staying in Abruzzo was a natural choice. Here, I know the seasons, the silences, the living matter from which everything begins. Here I can express my identity, in coherence with the values of the Sextantio project."

Images courtesy of Sextantio

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Find out more about this unique restaurant here: Sextantio Cucina | Santo Stefano di Sessanio Albergo Diffuso in Abruzzo

And more here about Sextantio's projects

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