A land of ancient agricultural and productive tradition, the Rieti area has much to offer from a gastronomic point of view as well. The Gusto experience aims to introduce visitors to the vast menu of typical products from this area.
Officially certified products include Amatrician ham IGP (Protected Geographical Indication), and Sabina extra virgin olive oil DOP (Protected Designation of Origin). But this is just the beginning, the traditional agri-food products are in fact countless and for all tastes, and each town preserves and passes down its own way of preparing and consuming them.

Stopping to eat in the area you will be able to taste fresh meats and offal prepared according to traditional recipes, wonderful sausages such as Leonessa lard, Accumoli and Amatrice mortadella, or salamella cicolana. And then the cheeses, and vegetable products. Some of the local crops are protected: such as the Colle di Tora pea bean, the Borbontino bean, the Labro gentile bean, and the Rascino chickling vetch and lentil. Autumn is the time for prized chestnuts such as the Red Chestnut of Cicolano, or the Anthrodocano Chestnut, then used in sweet recipes, such as castagnaccio, and savory ones such as ravioli or chestnut gnocchi. Very valuable is the Patata di leonessa, also used to prepare the traditional potato cake.
Different and special types of fresh handmade pastas, as well as bakery, biscuit and pastry products. The sagne, ravioli, gnocchi, maltagliati, pizzicotti, strozzapreti, and sfusellati; the various Easter cakes, pizza somma, pizza sucia, pizza grassa, and you name it!
Some recipes then tie in with local traditions: the Ciambelle salate, anise-flavored doughnuts, also known as St. Anthony’s doughnuts, were prepared as “ritual breads” on St. Anthony’s feast day, January 17, and delivered to the owners of the animals brought in for blessing. The basket shape originated because they were worn on the arm to carry them.

The rose-shaped bridal doughnuts were prepared by the bride’s mother who sent them to her future husband’s house along with the dowry. The cuts on the dough were made a few days before the wedding, during the wedding bed preparation ritual, and even today in the towns of Cittaducale and Antrodoco it is customary to offer them to guests during wedding receptions.
Among the typical recipes, one of the best known is definitely pasta all’amatriciana, which originated in Amatrice.
Several gastronomic festivals are held in the towns of the Rieti area to celebrate traditional products and recipes, so a calendar may come in handy!
It is recommended to check the institutional sites for dates and times of the festivals.