Mantova - Bar Caravatti
It's probably unoriginal to describe Mantova as a "hidden gem", and yet it's certainly not a big tourist destination, despite having some hugely impressive architecture and a palazzo ducale which is, I believe, bigger than Buckingham Palace. I still haven't quite been able to fathom how the ruling Gonzaga dynasty made its money - in a pleasing reference to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, their city appears to have been built on a swamp, not exactly great arable land.
Being mostly surrounded by water, Mantova feels like an inland island, and perhaps this has helped to give the city a wonderfully isolated, time capsule sort of feel. That citadel mentality has, presumably, helped to drive their strong local cuisine, and, although I may be going out on a bit of a limb here, the fear that the supply lines of aperitivi could one day be cut has motivated them to create their own.
Bar Caravatti seems to be an integral part of Mantovese society, a local institution. It has been going since 1865, and, like many Italian caffes, is open throughout the day, gradually transforming from a place people come for coffees and pastries in the daytime, to a destination for aperitivo in the evening. And the most exciting part is that they have a unique aperitivo, only available here, still made today by a member of the Caravatti family, and, of course, to a secret family recipe.
There are in fact three types of the Caravatti aperitivo made, all served from unlabelled bottles. First the "Classico", which is red in colour and is an Americano style - not to be confused with the cocktail of the same name - this refers to a type of vermouth. It is on the sweeter side of red vermouths, quite fruity and very drinkable.
The other two are the "Punto Giallo" - a white vermouth, perhaps leaning a bit more to a citrus flavour profile, and the "Leggero" which is a slightly lighter version of the Classico (the barman when I asked to try it said "it's for ladies").
A particularly nice feature of the interior is a large mirror at the back, which apparently dates back to the early 1900s, and seems to give the impression the bottles were once labelled, and maybe even sold to drink off the premises. Alas that is no longer the case, I did ask if there was any chance to buy a bottle to take away, but the answer was a polite but very firm no.
I fell in love with the place straight away, a wonderful combination of a sense of history, an affectionately regarded local institution, and a unique drink you can't have anywhere else. Long may Bar Caravatti continue.
Being mostly surrounded by water, Mantova feels like an inland island, and perhaps this has helped to give the city a wonderfully isolated, time capsule sort of feel. That citadel mentality has, presumably, helped to drive their strong local cuisine, and, although I may be going out on a bit of a limb here, the fear that the supply lines of aperitivi could one day be cut has motivated them to create their own.
Bar Caravatti seems to be an integral part of Mantovese society, a local institution. It has been going since 1865, and, like many Italian caffes, is open throughout the day, gradually transforming from a place people come for coffees and pastries in the daytime, to a destination for aperitivo in the evening. And the most exciting part is that they have a unique aperitivo, only available here, still made today by a member of the Caravatti family, and, of course, to a secret family recipe.
There are in fact three types of the Caravatti aperitivo made, all served from unlabelled bottles. First the "Classico", which is red in colour and is an Americano style - not to be confused with the cocktail of the same name - this refers to a type of vermouth. It is on the sweeter side of red vermouths, quite fruity and very drinkable.
The other two are the "Punto Giallo" - a white vermouth, perhaps leaning a bit more to a citrus flavour profile, and the "Leggero" which is a slightly lighter version of the Classico (the barman when I asked to try it said "it's for ladies").
A particularly nice feature of the interior is a large mirror at the back, which apparently dates back to the early 1900s, and seems to give the impression the bottles were once labelled, and maybe even sold to drink off the premises. Alas that is no longer the case, I did ask if there was any chance to buy a bottle to take away, but the answer was a polite but very firm no.
The exterior also has painted mirrors on either flank depicting those bottles.
I fell in love with the place straight away, a wonderful combination of a sense of history, an affectionately regarded local institution, and a unique drink you can't have anywhere else. Long may Bar Caravatti continue.
Comments
Post a Comment