Aromatic basil fills the kitchens of Rome’s Villa Agrippina Gran Meliá, perched on the Gianicolo hill with one of the city’s most breathtaking views. The energy of the Eternal City seems to empower every dish prepared there, a nod to the city’s long history—from Garibaldi’s campaigns to the unification of Italy—woven into the hotel’s culinary scene.
The hotel’s stoves crackle with olive oil, garlic, and a natural tomato sauce softened by garden-fresh basil. Chef Alfonso D’Auria works with produce picked directly from the kitchen garden, crafting two simple, delicious, healthy, seasonal Italian recipes that avoid pasta: a Sicilian parmigiana di melanzane and Roman artichokes with anchovies and mint.
In this intimate space, Agrippina the Younger—Caligula’s sister who lived a life of plans and passion—remains a muse. The Neapolitan chef feels every ingredient deeply, believing that Italy is more than pasta and pizza. He aims to celebrate local flavors and straightforward preparations that ordinary guests savor as well as connoisseurs. The Gran Meliá stands as a serene oasis amid Rome’s bustle, just a short stroll from the Vatican and the lively Trastevere district.
Sicilian parmigiana di melanzane
Contents:
Olive and sunflower oil, garlic, basil, natural tomato sauce, eggplant, salt, flour, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese.
Preparation:
- Put olive oil, whole garlic cloves, crushed tomatoes, salt, and basil in a casserole and simmer on low heat for about 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, slice eggplants into about one-inch rounds.
- Dust the slices with flour and fry in sunflower oil until golden.
- Shred the mozzarella.
- Layer eggplant, tomato sauce, mozzarella, grated Parmesan, and fresh basil in a dish.
- Finish with a Parmesan gratin and bake until bubbling and golden.
- A Neapolitan twist: add egg coating to the eggplant before frying for a different texture.
Roman artichokes (carciofi alla romana)
Contents:
Fresh artichokes, garlic, anchovies, mint, and white wine.
Preparation:
- Clean both the outside and the interior of the artichoke, removing the woody hairs completely.
- Stuff the artichoke with minced anchovy, garlic, mint, and olive oil.
- Invert the stuffed artichokes into a pan with butter and a splash of white wine, cooking covered for about 20 minutes until tender.
The joy of dining in Rome
Villa Agrippina Gran Meliá marks its tenth anniversary with the opening of a refined new restaurant, Follie, Italian for madness, led by chef Luciano Monosilio, renowned as a Michelin-starred maestro and sometimes called the king of carbonara.
Monosilio offers a pasta-forward menu with a modern Italian twist. Guests can choose a six-course or twelve-course tasting, with wine pairings or à la carte options.
Dedicated to local sourcing, the pantry features meats from nearby ports and seafood from Gaeta, pecorino from the hills of Viterbo, and aromatic herbs from Castelli Romani, with produce harvested from hydroponic systems.
The menu may include delicate dishes like goose with apple and mustard, scampi with pistachios, cucumber and dill, buttons stuffed with burrata and scarola, marinated anchovies, and smoked lamb fillet with raspberry and oyster emulsion.
Follie celebrates flavors rooted in antiquity, echoing the culinary traditions of ancient Rome while embracing contemporary techniques.
Alongside the restaurant, the hotel’s cocktail bar I like and the outdoor Gala Pool offer spaces surrounded by lemon trees, strawberries, and olive trees. Set in an old villa at the foot of the Gianicolo hill, Villa Agrippina Gran Meliá spans 9,000 square meters of history, luxury, and refinement. Just a short stroll from Vatican City, St. Peter’s Square, Piazza Navona, and the Pantheon, it remains an oasis of calm amid Rome’s cobblestone lanes along the Tiber.
The six-course tasting menu begins around 100 Euros, while the twelve-course option starts near 150 Euros per person.