In the main square of Monselice, at the foot of the Fortress, a gourmet restaurant that enchants, from breakfast to dinner, with delicious dishes that tell a wonderful tale of the nearby territory.
A return to origins, which is based on respect for tradition, the value of friendship and a sustainable supply chain.
Origins Osteria Contemporanea was born, in fact, from the meeting between Riccardo Pitteo, gourmant by passion, and the chef Marco Danelli that gave life to a dream made of authentic flavors and human warmth that led them to open, in August 2021, their first restaurant.
Entering the exposed stone walls of the Osteria is like taking a dip in the history of the small walled city at the foot of the Euganean Hills: the premises are, in fact, those of the oldest café in the city, the scene of important events, such as the visit by Giuseppe Garibaldi who, in 1867, as a guest of the municipal administration, had lunch in the room that now houses the gourmet restaurant.
From the highest expressions of taste, a culinary experience takes shape that draws strength from the origins to rewrite the future through responsible cuisine.
(Riccardo and Marco, owners and friends)
The references to local legends are not lacking even in the elegant interior design: such as the Bonaparte convivial table located in the bistro, recovered from the wood of a centuries-old cedar demolished during the 2015 storm at Villa Pisani di Stra (which belonged, in fact, to Napoleon), the beautiful indigo curtains, coming from an old cinema in Padua, or the twisted bases of the wooden tables in the restaurant, originally the columns of a former deconsecrated church.
Origini was conceived, even in the spaces, in order to be able to offer the best to its customers from dawn to dusk. From breakfast, based on homemade brioche filled with saccapoche of delicious custard prepared by the chef, to the aperitif based on gourmet cicchetti (tapas) such as The origins of the egg, the Toasted bread with herbs and mountain lard, or the New potato chips with anchovy paste and capers from the Rocca di Monselice, up to the many proposals of the gourmet restaurant.
In the kitchen, the chef Marco Danelli, from Bergamo, born in 1995, boasting a Master of Italian Cuisine in 2015 and a starred experience in the Alajmo group, is inspired by two key concepts: the story of the territory and the yumminess of the dishes, working exclusively with organic ingredients and producers who respect the planet. Starting from the self-produced ones such as vegetables from their garden and the Origini line that includes oil made with Arquà Patrarca olives as well as white and red wine.
The menu is based on carefully selected meats, such as those from the Fattoria alle Origini in Bovolenta or farmyard animals from Slow Food presidia, and delicious high-quality vegetables that, for taste and preparation technique, are elevated to real main courses such as the Roasted cauliflower with mixed seeds and seed sauce.
Among the most popular dishes, the handmade Tortellini “Pastificio Pastiamo” served with Slow Food Gallina Padovana (hen) broth and Parmigiano Reggiano, the 30-month-aged Vialone Nano Rice “Riseria delle Abbadesse” with pumpkin and toasted hazelnuts from Piedmont IGP, or Organic Beef beaten with a knife with Late Radicchio and Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and Giovanni Ponchio’s Duck cooked at low temperature with its sauce. To finish off with a flourish with the hand-picked Honduran single-origin mocha coffee and the Chocolate and Chestnut Mousse.
The wine list is very accurate with a focus on the best labels of the Euganean Hills, Franciacorta and the great French regions such as Burgundy, selected from small artisanal and natural wine producers.
The ingredients for an unforgettable day? The panoramic walk along the votive path of the seven churches (about 1 hour), a long aperitif based on gourmet cicchetti sitting in Monselice’s main square and then indulging in Riccardo’s advice for a yummy lunch to be enjoyed in the romantic Garibaldi room.
The Secret
The first photographic sources of the then Caffè Centrale date back to the end of the 19th century, but there are many historical notes of color in this place. From being used as a sporting house to the vicissitudes of the owner of the walls, a certain Pertile, who in the early 1900s fled to Libya to escape from debt and to whom we owe the nickname of the bar called for a long time the “Bedouin”, until the post-World War II management of the Zurlo family, famous for having hosted the first television and also the first telephone of the whole Monselice.
Useful Info
Origini Osteria Contemporanea
P.zza Mazzini 21
35043 Monselice, Padova
Tel. +39 0429 539192
Starters: 12 — 35 euro
First courses: 12 — 40 euro
Second courses: 6 — 48 euro
Desserts: 7 — 9 euro
Tapas: from 3,5 euro
