The beautiful Albani Hills, located just outside Rome, have been a destination of wealthy and important families, not to mention the permanent residence of many monasteries, for millennia. Here in the charming town of Ariccia, where the lip smacking delicious roasted pork known as porchetta became so famous, thanks to the sagra first held in its honor in 1950. However, the succulent roasted pork had been produced in the same manner from even before ancient Rome, thanks to the local monks who had stables of pigs for the frequent sacrifices.
Using only female pigs for their lean, flavorful meat, Ariccia porchetta is typically thinly sliced and served between two slabs of the town’s equally famous local casareccio bread. This simple street food was so well received (thanks to the sagra) that the Italian writer Giulio Cesare Gerlinithat said: “The art of preparing the pigs destined to become “porchetta”… is left exclusively to a few of the families from Ariccia, whose members are handed down from father to son. The idea of the sagra came because they wanted to make it known that the Ariccine product had established itself so much that even abroad it is sent to prepare tables of popular restaurants and trendy places.”
In fact, the producers of porchetta of Ariccia, which in 2011 was designated an I.G.P. product (Protected Geographic Indication, meaning any product called “Porchetta di Ariccia” must truly come from this town), have over the years continued the artisan tradition of preparing the pork. The art of seasoning, flavoring, binding, and preparing the pork in a large oven, which is prepared daily with professionalism and experience by these “porchettari”, has been passed from generation to generation.
The Porchetta Sagra of Ariccia is one of the most anticipated in all of Italy, with Italians and tourists alike coming from all over to sink their teeth into one of the famous sandwiches and to hopefully take home one or two extra free from the famous “panini launch”. Music, art, and entertainment always accompany the event, as well as the region’s best wines (for which they are also well known).
But if you can’t make it for the sagra, Ariccia and the surrounding towns that make up Castelli Romani are absolutely worth a visit if you are staying in Rome. Transport is quick and easy; and the delicious porchetta and the refined wines await.
Porchetta from Ariccia
