Stiripori

If you 're in the province of Viterbo, it 's well worth going off the beaten track and seeking out Stiripori, a typical rustic Italian osteria in the quiet town of Villa San Giovanni in Tuscia. With a focus on fresh, local, season ingredients, don 't worry about a menu and simply let Damiano bring you what 's good on the day. My Italian-born friend and I enjoyed a wonderful antipasto selection made up of local cheeses with pear, honey and hazelnuts, the freshest ricotta served with a fig 'jam ', marinated grilled zucchini/courgette and thin slices of a local pressed pork 'terrine ', as well as fresh rustic bread and bruscetta! The pasta course was fettucine with served simply with fresh porcini mushrooms (we were lucky it was the season! sauteed gently in garlic and olive oil. We accepted the advice from the kitchen that no cheese was needed and were not disappointed. We could easily have stopped there, but were convinced to try a small veal involtini stuffed with breadcrumbs and herbs, and to finish sampled some local biscotti with coffee. For all of this, including a quarter litre of wine, we paid the princely sum of 14 euro a head! With seating for only 25 it 's best to book ahead, especially in the evenings.