Taste

The 'Macaroni with chickpeas' of Gerano is a home-made pasta with eggs, salt, flour and water.

The pasta is seasoned with a sauce made from chickpeas, tomato and bacon.

The final dish is covered with parmesan or pecorino cheese.

Geranese Strozzapreti Pasta

Geranese Strozzapreti is the typical handmade pasta of Gerano. The dough is made with wheat and maize flour, water, olive oil and salt.

The ‘sheet’ of dough is made by hand and stretched vertically to dry. Then the dough is cut and cooked in boiling salted water.

The sauce is made with parsley, garlic and fried oil to which is added the tomato, salt and pepper. The final dish is seasoned with plenty of pecorino cheese.

Guarcino is famous for its springs.

The mineral waters of the sources of Filette and St. Luke are known for their healing qualities: being very popular since the early 1900s, have been bottled and marketed since 2002.

The Filette water source is 900 meters high.

The first historical records date back to 400 BC, when the Romans dedicated it to Venus as a symbol of the bond between the goddess and the life force.

Even today, the fountain where the raw water source of the Water Filette is channelled, has a sculpture that bears witness to this particular symbolism.

The organic extra virgin olive oil Ernico comes from an area between the towns of Guarcino, Vico nel Lazio, and Collepardo, the heart of Ernici Mountains.

The focus during the growing and processing is to ensure high quality standards and the oil has won prizes on the domestic and international market.

The Tartalicchi are Ciociarian pancakes based on typical potatoes of Guarcino and Alatri.

They are part of the so-called 'Ciociarian poor cooking' traditional food.

According to tradition they are prepared for Christmas, but are also offered during festivals and Carnival.

In many local restaurants they are offered among the typical Ciociarian appetizers.

The Amaretto of Guarcino is recognized as a traditional product of Lazio and for over a century has been world famous for its unique taste and aroma.

It has an oval shape and is light brown in colour being made with almonds, egg whites and sugar.

It is said that the recipe was given to the population by a monk in gratitude for the hospitality received. 

There are several local manufacturers of this delicacy.

Guarcino is known for the Guarcino Prosciutto DOP, an acronym that defines the traditional agri-food products of Lazio.

This tasty mountain prosciutto was originally produced according to tradition only in the winter months from pigs grazing in the wild and had been cured at high altitude.

Today it is produced throughout the year. The prosciutto has a red colour, a salty taste, is matured for 7-8 months and has an average weight of 8-10 kg.

To complement every palate, there is also a smoked version.

Strozzapreti or cecapreti, are "maccaruni" of Ciociaria and Villa Santo Stefano.

The durum is made with wheat flour, eggs and water seasoned in various ways.

Their name goes back to the continuous restrictions imposed by the Church that had generated an anticlerical sentiment in the whole area of Ciociaria. When the women prepared this pasta they wished to choke the priests (strozzapreti) while they ate!

Cecapresti Pasta is celebrated in a festival in August.