The birth of excellence
I had often heard of Agriturismo Iacchelli, in Rome and especially at the Castelli it has been an established institution for years now, that place immersed in the countryside where families and school groups can find genuine and kilometer zero, where they can relax lulled by the wind in the shade of the pines. However, I must admit that I have always thought "... it will be a farmhouse like there are so many around ... ", but with great and pleasant surprise I must admit today that I was wrong. I got to know the place thanks to a friend, and I was struck by its beauty, its authenticity and above all by the quality of the offer.
The history of this place has a profound flavor of Italianness, fully expresses that Italic ability to build from scratch, to overcome adversity, to do things well, to enhance them until reaching excellence. It is a story made of pure beauty and therefore deserves to be told and shared.
In the heart of the Parco dei Castelli Romani, in a landscape area of value and absolute beauty, on what was once the crest of the crater of the great Laziale Volcano extended up to the current Pomezia and Aprilia, here was born the Iacchelli farm. In the distant 1948 Elio and his brother, where others saw only a barren land without water, instead saw a great opportunity: they took advantage of a division of noble lands in the Vivaro area and began to work. We are in the immediate post-war period, times are difficult, the conflict that has just ended has left a legacy only of hunger and poverty, but these two men, originally from the Marches, have had courage, put aside the fear of an uncertain future and are given to do. Thanks to their intuition and great passion, their small business grew, from a farm to an agritourism business, becoming in a few years the reference point for locals, Romans and all tourists from outside the region. Two were born from the original company in 2016. Colle dell'Acero is the one headed by Elio, deeply linked to the old company in the sharing of precious values: the passion for the countryside, for the goodness of things done well, respect for nature, love for good food and the art of hospitality.
A journey into the "future of tradition"
I had the pleasure of meeting Colle dell'Acero, the farm which, following in the footsteps of grandfather Elio Iacchelli, has kept its roots firmly in its past, while turning its gaze towards the future with courage and ambition: the word of 'order is "tradition", without ever straying too far from what was the inspiration of the past, still focusing on agricultural production and the undisputed charm of the countryside, together with "profound innovation". The founders had the great intuition, observing the profoundly changed market context in the last ten years, of having to make a qualitative leap. The Castelli Romani are certainly known by many for good food, even if in the past the focus has always been on quantity rather than quality. Colle dell'Acero has instead decided to enhance the characteristics of the territory, to enhance it, focusing everything on the undisputed quality of its products, worked with great skill by its interpreters. The raw material is not lacking and the Italian culinary art is a natural complement for a truly superior result.
Juri Iacchelli, founder of the new Colle dell'Acero company, representing the fourth generation of the Iacchelli family, has called to collaborate two professionals of food and wine: lo Executive Louis Sciullo, who is entrusted with the careful and meticulous management of the kitchen, and il Sommelier Free Maggi, who has the task of managing the wine cellar, which thanks to him appears rich and valuable, of remarkable quality and variety. Everything that arrives on the table comes from the company's production or from local producers who are inspired by the same principles of respect for natural cycles. Luigi knows how to assemble valuable products with great skill: the taste, the fragrance, the appearance of the dishes is something different, which we ran the risk of forgetting, addicted to the mediocre food that has spread in the spasmodic pursuit of profit. In the pairing of wine with food, sacredness is touched upon, an undisputed and precious art that Libero knows how to interpret with skill and accuracy, culture and passion.
Colle dell'Acero's client is not like any ordinary client. The restaurant revolves around him, the ability of the managers to make him feel at ease, in a familiar environment, making him savor the goodness to the fullest, all this makes the difference.
In this period of crisis that our country is facing, knowing that there are places like these, able to preserve the Italian beauty, places, food, wine, people, gives me a deep optimism, because the future it is ours and of all the people like Luigi, Libero and Juri, who have had the courage to invest and to focus deeply on what distinguishes us in the world, to do things in the Italian way, to do things well done.
