Its origins date back to the end of the 635th century, when the Lombard gastaldato of Lucania began to be divided into counties and lordships, given in vassalage to members of the Salerno dynasty. A period marked by the phenomenon of fortification caused by the waves of mostly Hungarian and Saracen invasions. It can be said without a shadow of a doubt that the castle of Rocca Cilento, which dominates the village of the same name at an altitude of 1799 m, with a breathtaking view of the Alento Valley which ranges from Capo Palinuro to Punta Campanella immersed in the nature of the splendid National Park Del Cilento and Valle del Diano, preserves the historical memory of this beautiful side of Cilento. It became the property of the Sanseverino family at the end of the 1908th century, passed through many hands who left traces still evident today in its structures, used for defensive purposes during the Jacobin uprisings of 1981, purchased in the sixties by the historian Ruggero Moscati (XNUMX-XNUMX ) who perceived its value as a symbolic place of Cilento, a crossroads of the various civilizations that have followed one another over time and who made it a place of meeting and hospitality for scholars, and a venue for study conferences, today the Castle has become in the expert hands of Sgueglia family a charming hotel with a restaurant that has made the history of Cilento, its flavors and the identity of the territory, its reason for being.
Chef Matteo Sangiovanni was called to lead this important gastronomic project: “Mine is a project that wants to testify – he explains – all the quality of our land, between beauty and refined flavours, sinking his vision in an intrinsic past of traditions and stories of people that are transformed into dynamic visions that marry tradition and innovation in a fine dining proposal based on the authenticity of products that only this land can offer".
Matteo Sangiovanni's roots in his land practically mark his entire professional adventure. was born in Salerno in 1976. At the age of 50, an active member of the Italian National Chefs Team for several years, the chef also set up the Team Costa del Cilento, a project which aims to represent the excellence of his land in Italy and in the world. Graduated from the hotel school in Gromola (SA), he won the gold medal at the national cuisine competitions in Alassio in 1999 and first place at the national cuisine competitions in Massa during the Italian cuisine festival. The experiences he gained over the years, from the Four Seasons in Milan to the Astoria in Florence, led him to the Tre Olivi Restaurant of the Savoy Beach Hotel in Paestum (SA) where he refined a cuisine that strongly exalted the local products which earned him the recognition of the Gambero Rosso restaurant guide. Then the arrival in the history of the Castle of Rocca Cilento, where a perfect synthesis is established between the history of these walls and the desire to bring this history to the table in a sensorial and gustatory experience that celebrates this extraordinary land of flavours.

The recipe for the red prawn terrine, ricotta in a layer of grilled courgettes with steamed octopus and celery jelly, prawn seasoning.
Ingredients for four people
For the terrine
400g. of red prawns from Acciaroli
100 g. of buffalo ricotta
n. 8 slices of grilled courgettes
10g of chives
salt and pepper
For the prawn seasoning
The heads of the prawns in the bowl
100 g. extra virgin oil
5 gr. lemon juice
sale
For the celery jelly
300 g. of celery
2 g. of agar agar
1 clove of garlic
400 g. of baby octopus
30 g. of citronette sauce
salt and pepper
Gaskets
4 squid ink wafers
fried celery leaves
Method
Line the mold with the previously grilled courgettes and place the peeled and black casing-free prawns. Season lightly with chives, a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt and pepper, alternating with a slice of buffalo ricotta. On the third layer, finish with the prawns and courgettes. Let it rest in the fridge for at least 3 hours at 2°C. Blend the celery with 50 g. of the octopus cooking water and filter through a fine cloth. Then in a pan, brown the garlic in the oil, which you will remove later, and add the celery juice seasoned with salt. Bring to the boil, add the agar and boil for another 1 minute. Pour the prepared liquid into a tray and place it in the blast chiller. With the prawn heads that you have previously cleaned, blend with an immersion blender, adding oil, salt and the filter lemon juice. With this liquid, the citronette, you will season the octopus. Cut the terrine and place a slice on the plate. Arrange the baby octopus on the side with the celery jelly cut into tagliatelle. Sauce with the prawn dressing and decorate with the wafer and fried celery leaves.
Castello Rocca Cilento restaurant
Via Castello, 1
Rocca Cilento
+39 3335877468 | +39 0974832392.
info@castellodiroccacilento.it