In Noale, in the province of Venice, a charming restaurant that embodies a harmonious blend of many gems: the cuisine of chef Pietro Famengo, the creativity of his family, and the conservative restoration of a splendid 19th-century farmhouse.
The opening of Corte Villa Rossi in 2021 crowns a dream that started from afar. Pietro was, in fact, still a boy when his father bought an old residence and farmhouse, a former brick kiln, built in the 19th century by Mr. Carlo Rossi (to whom today the venue owes the name) but he already had clear ideas: to become a chef and open his restaurant among those walls.
It took over ten years for the Famengo family to finish the renovation and Pietro, after learning how to cook in the kitchen of his grandmother and aunts, completed his apprenticeship in some of the most important Michelin-starred brigades in the Veneto region, from Met Restaurant of the Hotel Metropole with chef Corrado Fasolato to Antica Osteria da Cera, from Quadri of the Alajmo family to Damini Macelleria & Affini.
The secret of my recipes is a deep knowledge of the raw material, I love understanding what happens inside the food and shaping it to obtain the maximum flavor.
(Pietro Famengo, chef)
With these premises, it is clear that in his restaurant today nothing is left to chance: from the menu, a balanced mix of traditional recipes and international highlights, to the refined mise en place with candles and floral decorations created with great taste by mother Monica up to perfect and romantic points of light.
The main rooms of the restaurant occupy the ancient stables of the farmhouse of which they still retain the original 19th-century features, such as the wooden doors, the floors, and the staircase leading to the beamed barn, perfect for parties of friends and events. Even the furnishings were recovered from the original residence and strictly integrated with seats and tables found in neighboring buildings and belonging to the same era.
In the large open kitchen, chef Pietro, a modern alchemist, artfully reinterprets the ancient flavors of his land, playing with the history and techniques of haute cuisine to create flavourful recipes that follow the seasons. Like the Bisato sull’Ara, a refined grilled eel, inspired by what was once cooked in the evening in the Murano art glass furnaces to optimize the fire, or the Oca in Onto, a tribute to the tradition of goose courtyard meats and the medieval spirit of the nearby Rocca di Noale.
There are also the most popular and delicious international recipes that Pietro loves to “make his own” with small creative touches, such as Cacio e Pepe al Camino, with smoked bacon and guanciale ham, or grilled Wagyu meat, up to BAO at steamed with soft crab and tikka masala sauce.
A double soul, as attentive to the territory as it is cosmopolitan, which is also reflected in the choice of suppliers, such as the Limousine cuts from the Damini butcher shop or the meats of the Basque Country such as Imanol‘s Txogitxu and Gutrei, from the fish markets of Venice and Chioggia to red tuna caught with the Ikejime technique, created by Japanese fishermen to keep the quality of the meat unaltered, up to the first fruits of the season, such as Bassano asparagus, Treviso red radicchio and Sant’Erasmo baby artichokes.
The wine list is also entirely Italian with the best vintages of the various local excellences proposed to guests by Vittorio, Pietro’s brother, with the help of his father Renzo who, after having supervised the entire restoration of the restaurant, is now enjoying its fruits by entertaining guests as a “visiting host”.
Open every evening and also for lunch on weekends, Corte Villa Rossi is more than a restaurant. A cosy refuge, a romantic treat, a gourmet must-go, but above all the home of an extraordinary family who knows how to keep tradition and innovation together by pampering its guests with great passion and dedication.
The Secret
The attention to detail in the creation of the restaurant has reached such a point that Pietro and his father Renzo tested the sand of many rivers in the area, before finding the right shade for the mortar (which is made with fine sand) which had to be the same as the original one.
Useful Info
Corte Villa Rossi
Via Asiago 1
30033 Noale, Venezia
Tel. +39 041 7795824
Starters: 12 — 18 euro
First courses: 12 — 16 euro
Second courses: da 22 euro
Desserts: 7 euro
