Casa Lawrence Agriturismo & La Caciosteria in Picinisco, Italy (Hidden Gems in Lazio)

Casa Lawrence, an agriturismo set between Rome and Naples in Lazio, Italy, is a quintessential Italian experience. Get out of those touristy cities to see and taste what REAL Italian life is about!

If you have never been to Italy before, pour yourself a glass of wine, sit back and enjoy what you’ve been missing on a virtual day out with me.

As an Booking.com affiliate, and Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Disclosure: my family and I were hosted for lunch at Casa Lawrence at no charge. As always, all opinions are my own. 

If you don’t feel like you want to jump on the next plane by the time you’re finished reading this, then I will have failed miserably. On the other hand, if you have visited Italy in the past, I’m guessing that you may be checking flights to Rome or Naples midway through this post because you do know what you’re missing.

Since most of you reading this probably do not understand Italian, let me explain the title: an agriturismo combines tourism and farms; guests stay and eat at a farm, or farm-like property. Usually, the food is all local and “farm to table” and the standards of quality are very high. Casa Lawrence is the name of the particular agriturismo  I visited. La Caciosteria is translated to a “cheese tavern”, or a place where cheese is made. The famous English author and poet, D. H. Lawrence once lived here, so it was named after him, which explains the British name.

Benvenuti a (Welcome to) La Caciosteria!

A few years ago, my parents ate at Casa Lawrence, and I am being honest when I say that they still talk about that meal. You don’t know my parents, but it is extremely rare that they go on and on about good food at a restaurant, so I put Casa Lawrence on my list of places to visit when I returned to Italy.

Luckily, Loreto, the owner, invited us to La Caciosteria during the week, as we weren’t able to go on Sunday when the restaurant was open (October is off-season, so opening hours are not the same as during the summer). Not only did he serve us incredibly delicious bread, antipasti and wine under a fig tree, but he then asked if  I’d like to help him make a cacio e pepe pasta (pasta with a creamy cheese and pepper sauce)! Can you just imagine my excitement?

To give you an idea of our location, Picinisco is a small town about halfway between Rome and Naples, in the province of Lazio (where my family is from). Casa Lawrence is in the countryside–hidden away down a little lane, but there are plenty of signs along the road, helping to guide visitors there.

My cousin, Gianfranco, Zia Iolanda, my mother and I arrived earlier than we were to meet Loreto so that we could go for a walk in the beautiful sunshine.

You just can’t get this sort of experience and atmosphere in the big cities.

It was unseasonably warm for October, and we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day; we strolled down the lane and took in all the sights and smells of the pristine area.

One of the reasons that La Caciosteria’s cheese is superb, is because this is the area where the sheep are grazed; in fact, we encountered a flock on the road before we arrived!

Here’s a valuable Italian lesson for you: whenever you see DOP. after an Italian food product, it’s a good thing. Literally, it means Protected Designation of Origin: think Champagne–you know that only sparkling wines which comes from the Champagne region of France can legally be called, “Champagne”, right? It’s a way to ensure that consumers are not being duped by “knock off” cheeses, meats and wine, for example. DOC and DOCG is used for wines in the same manner. You can learn more and stop being duped by going  on my friend Robert’s page: Stop Italian Sounding.

Another tip to help you with your Italian cheeses: “pecora” means “sheep” in Italian, so whenever you see any type of Pecorino, you will know that it was made with sheep’s milk.

And here is the marvelous product which comes from those lovely “ladies” in the photo above, Pecorino di Picinisco, DOP.

Loreto was so incredibly friendly and welcoming, but I was a little hesitant about speaking to him in Italian, as my “proper” Italian is in need of work, but he made me feel very comfortable and relaxed in communicating with him. He gave us a tour of La Caciosteria, beginning with the room where the cheese is ripened; the smell was heavenly!

He then showed us upstairs, where many of his grandparents’ belongings still decorate the rooms.

The main room downstairs housed a small rustic kitchen where a few cheeses were on display. Mum and I spied a leg of prosciutto and some incredible looking, crusty bread and exchanged a glance that said it all: we were both dying for some cheese, prosciutto and bread!

Loreto refused our help and prepared a table outside, under a gorgeous fig tree, then began bringing out the most mouth-watering antipasti: cheeses, prosciutto, bread, pickled vegetables, different pizze, and a carafe of wine.

It was so hard to be polite and wait for lunch to begin with everyone seated, but somehow both Mum and I managed! 

I mean, look at this bread!

The cheeses which were brought out for us to try were aged Caciocavallo, fresh Pecorino di Picinisco, D.O.P, Marzolina (the log cheese), Blue Valcomino and Pecorino Stagionato, which was the cheese we had seen in the aging room.

This is Gianfranco’s “stop taking pictures and let’s eat” face.

I thought I was really good about how much I put on my (first) plate, don’t you think? I could have easily put three times this amount on the plate, but thought it probably wouldn’t have been very proper!

Here is the most difficult part of writing this piece…to impart to you the flavors I enjoyed when eating these edible works of art. For those of you who have experienced the phenomenal tastes of certain foods, such as artisanal cheeses and dry cured sausages and salami, there are no words necessary.

For those of you who have yet to appreciate such utter delight with your taste buds, there are no words in existence which can convey the euphoria that these foods can bring. In essence, we were in “food heaven”, and the setting was the icing on the cake!

The fresh ricotta was so creamy and had such a wonderful flavor, which is non-existent in all US “big brand” ricottas that I have tasted. The dry-cured sausages were just incredible. Without a doubt, these are definitely one of my most favorite things to eat, and I could never become vegetarian simply because of them.

The fresh bread was exactly how I like it, moist inside with a perfect texture and a beautiful crust. And the wine was local, too–a gorgeous red from Atina, a small town nearby, where my grandmother was born.

We talked and ate, and I just kept thinking of how lucky I was at that moment. It was not surprising that D. H. Lawrence had penned one of his most famous novels, Lost Girl while living in this beautiful area, and I imagine that he would have eaten some of the same foods that we were eating that afternoon. More to come on Mr. Lawrence, in Part 2.

I hope you don’t think that was the end of our meal, because you would be oh so wrong! My mother and I were completely content with what we had eaten, and could have died happy at that moment, however, Loreto had not stopped apologizing for only presenting us with an “uncooked” meal.

I tried my best to explain to him how much joy his antipasti had brought us and that there was absolutely no need to apologize. But he continued, “If you could only have come on Sunday when we would have had main dishes!” At one point, he looked at me and said, “How about we make a quick cacio e pepe?

Click here for the pasta making lesson and cacio e pepe recipe from Loreto.

Would you like to help me?” Although, I really didn’t need to eat another bite, the opportunity of being able to cook with Loreto in Italy was just too good to pass up!

Loreto plated all the pasta, which included two plates for a lovely English couple named Angela and Les, who happened to be driving through the area. Apparently, a lady at their bank that morning had told them they just had to go to Picinisco as it was so gorgeous! Loreto invited them to sample his pasta.

They were so welcomed, and enjoyed the time they spent with us that they promised they’d book reservations to come back on Sunday (lucky them).

Gianfranco was done with photos and videos and wanted to eat! However, this time besides “the face”, I also got hands-on-the-hips action!

The pasta was phenomenal, given the combination of flavors from the piquant cheese and the spicy black pepper. It’s definitely something I’m going to be putting on my regular dinner rotation at home. Unfortunately, I won’t have Loreto’s Pecorino di Picinisco D.O.P. or Rimbàs black pepper. (EDIT: I learned that Sarawak black pepper is the same thing!)

If you love cacio e pepe pasta, check out the cacio e pepe with chicory recipe inspired by my visit to a trattoria in Rome.

If you think that was it for our lunch, you’d once again be mistaken. Loreto went inside and carried out a lovely crostata di fighi (fig tart). He also brought out some homemade Nocino (hazelnut liqueur). He then went to pick some grapes and another fruit I’ve never even seen before.

Corbezzelo is the name of the red berry-type fruit, but in dialect Loreto said it was called, “m’briachella” inferring that eating too many of them will make you drunk! I think that might just be an old wives’ tale, but who knows, I didn’t eat enough of them to know for sure! I did like the flavor and texture of the sweet fruit, which is called a strawberry tree in English, but it was definitely different than any other fruit I’ve tasted.

Casa Lawrence Agriturismo

After enjoying our fresh fruit and dessert, Loreto gave us a tour of Casa Lawrence, which is another building separate from La Caciosteria where you can book a farm stay. 

This is where D.H. Lawrence lived for some time, and where the restaurant is located.

Walking into Casa Lawrence is like walking into a museum that’s lived-in.

It was fantastic to see all the old bits and pieces, like a stone hand-grinder.  and the corn-husk mattress that my mother had told me about in the past. There were a lot more tables in the restaurant rooms than I had expected to see, and just hope the next time I’m at Casa Lawrence that I’ll be able to enjoy a meal in one of them.

The evidence of D. H. Lawrence’s presence is obvious as there is memorabilia and many of his belongings throughout the upstairs rooms.

We finally said our goodbyes after our tour of Casa Lawrence, with many thanks to Loreto for an incredibly enjoyable afternoon, and hopes for another visit in the near future. I do know that whenever I make cacio e pepe pasta, it won’t be possible to make it without thinking of Loreto and Casa Lawrence.

 

After leaving, Gianfranco took us to a nearby lake called Lago di Posta Fibreno. We watched some violent ducks (!) and took in the beautiful views as the sun began to set.

I hope that if you are ever in Lazio, especially if you are in Frosinone, that you will be able to visit Casa Lawrence. I’m sure I don’t need to say anymore about the food there, the areas nearby are just as phenomenal and it’s not far from Rome, Naples, Pompeii, beach cities, and mountain towns.

Booking.com

 

Tourism in Frosinone

Here is a picture of my very first plate of cacio e pepe pasta made here in LA, with many more to follow.

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Cin cin!

Disclosure: La Caciosteria di Casa Lawrence hosted my family and me for a light meal at no charge. All opinions are my own, and I only recommend products and services that would I use myself. I am disclosing this in compliance with FTC regulations. Christina’s Cucina is a Booking.com affiliate and participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.