The cooking of the Metauro valley is country cooking: few ingredients, plenty of patience and homemade pasta as an everyday ritual. Here are the dishes and products that best tell the story of the land around Fermignano.
Crescia sfogliata
The emblem of Urbino and its hinterland: a dough of flour, eggs, lard and black pepper, rolled out, coiled up on itself and cooked on a griddle so it opens into crisp, flaky layers. It's eaten warm, plain or filled with cured meats, sautéed greens and cheese. You'll find it on our Grand sharing board alongside cured meats, cheeses and grilled vegetables.
Casciotta d'Urbino PDO
A soft, semi-cooked cheese made mostly from sheep's milk with some cow's milk, sweet and delicate in flavour. It carries Protected Designation of Origin status and centuries of history; it is said to have been a favourite of Michelangelo. At da Lola you can try it baked, with fresh leaves.
Passatelli and cappelletti
Passatelli are made from breadcrumbs, cheese, eggs, nutmeg and lemon zest, pressed through a special iron: traditionally served in broth, today often dry, for example with porcini mushrooms. Cappelletti, filled and folded by hand, are the festive dish: in broth at Christmas, with richer sauces the rest of the year.
The rest of the table
- Coniglio in porchetta: rabbit cooked with wild fennel, garlic and lard, one of the best-loved mains in Le Marche.
- Olive all'ascolana: born in the south of the region, stuffed with meat and fried, now the starter at every Marche celebration.
- Char-grilled meat: in the Montefeltro hills the grill is a family tradition, from steaks to lamb chops.
- Bostrengo: a humble dessert of rice, dried figs, raisins and honey that every family makes its own way.
What to drink
The local wine is Bianchello del Metauro DOC, a fresh, savoury white made along the Metauro valley from the Biancame grape, perfect with starters, fish and delicate dishes. For meat, the Pesaro hills also produce good Sangiovese.
Want to taste the whole area in one dinner? Start with the sharing board and crescia, continue with a homemade first course and finish with meat from the grill.
