Today Antonio promised us an unforgettable culinary experience and he ever deliver!  We arrived in the little town of Montegrosso near Andria and were greeted by Chef Pietro Zito, the man behind the restaurant Antichi Sapori.  We were led to his massive garden across the street from the restaurant. 

Vegetables of all kinds are grown from artichokes to zucchine as well every type of herb imaginable and chickens and geese run around happily in their enclosures.  Chef Pietro Zito gave us a comprehensive tour of the garden and at the we were invited to enjoy a little aperitivo al fresco with some samples of local cheese, salami and ancient grain bread paired with a crisp Fiano produced under his label.  While we were savouring our wine and nibbles, he scurried off to oversee the kitchen which was busy preparing our feast!  Only Antonio knew what was in store for us…. 

Once we were seated in the restaurant dish after dish came out of the kitchen all beautifully presented made with ingredients freshly picked from the garden just moments before.  Pietro Zito has perfected the art of showcasing each ingredient with utter simplicity.  Each dish stood on its own but worked in perfect harmony with each subsequent one.  In total we had a 7 course meal.

Some of the dishes served included beans in broth, a selection of local cheeses, two pasta dishes, a gorgeous pork chop and more.  Desserts alone were works of art – cassata, olive oil cake, candied almonds and marscapone filled cakes topped with fruit.  After that feast the only civilized thing left to do was enjoy a digestivo.  We chose between Limoncello and Amaro and capped the meal with an espresso.  Does it get any better than this?