L'Antica Stalla

If you go beyond Citta della Pieve on the old road to Orvieto you will come across a hilltown called Monteleone. It had been some years since I had bothered to stop the car and wander its narrow streets so it came as some surprise when we were invited to dinner there by some friends who had recently moved to Citta della Pieve. They had discovered a new restaurant in the old town centre by the name of L'Antica Stalla, run by an Italian lady and her English husband. I have to admit to a degree of trepidation when I discovered that it was the English half that did the cooking and if I had known at the time that he came from York I may well have feigned illness! Had I done so I can honestly say that I would have missed a real treat.

From the moment you walk into L'Antica Stalla it is evident that this is something rather different for this area. No bright fluorescent lighting, no television in the corner to distract attention - and the decor looks as if it has been done by an adult. In fact there is a warm, charming elegance that fully invites you to sit down and enjoy what is to come. The menu is not extensive but instead offers a small selection of exquisitely prepared and presented dishes. I opted for a simple Umbrian dish of pici al ragu and it took me back to the old days when all restaurants served ragu that had the strength to hang on to the pasta - a real trip down Memory Lane.

For main course we chose cinghiale alla cacciatora and it was a rich, succulent serving of juicy boar meat in an aromatic sauce littered with juniper berries, just the perfect autumn dish yet so hard to find it done properly these days. We had a feisty Super Tuscan red for just Euro 25 to wash it down. If you have a large appetite I would recommend that you go for the full four courses. No one can be disappointed with the desserts on offer and they are a refreshing change from the usual drab afterthoughts of too many Umbrian restaurants today.

Finding L'Antica Stalla was a real bonus and I shall be a regular from now on. The dining area is not large so I would recommend booking in advance. Oh - and allegedly the expats from Citta della Pieve like to go there on a Sunday lunchtime so unless you are into that sort of thing you may want to choose another day.

Above the restaurant is what the owners describe as a luxury bed and breakfast, Palazzo Consoli, and having tasted their cooking I have no doubt they are right.

L'Antica Stalla, Corso Vittorio Emanuele 46, 05017 Monteleone d'Orvieto (TR), Tel: 0763 834032. www.palazzoconsoli.it

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