La pasticceria Picchio nasce nel 1978 grazie al talento di Elisabetta Marcozzi. La passione per la pasticceria è un gene che si tramanda ed è qui che Claudio Marcozzi, oggi Maestro Pasticcere dell’Accademia italiana, comincia a muovere i primi passi. Da allora, il profondo rispetto per il cliente e per la qualità vera, insieme ad un forte spirito innovativo ed al desiderio di sorprendere sempre, con buon gusto e professionalità, hanno decretato il successo della ricca produzione artigianale. Sensazioni del gusto che da oltre 30 anni scandiscono i diversi momenti della giornata: lievitati, mignon, torte classiche e per eventi, cioccolato e dolci delle ricorrenze.

Il profondo legame con il territorio ha spinto il Maestro pasticcere Claudio Marcozzi e il suo team a creare dolci legati alle bellezze marchigiane come le cupole, i cioccolatini d’autore e la Santasa.
Le cupole, in onore della Basilica di Loreto, sono delizie di finissimo cioccolato al latte o fondente con cuore alla crema di pasta nocciola.  Lavorate secondo la tradizione, rappresentano l’equilibrio perfetto tra dolcezza e gusto: il piacere di una sensazione unica.
I cioccolatini d’autore sono un tributo al grande Giacomo Leopardi. Ogni cioccolatino della degustazione è legato a un momento della vita del poeta. Gli ingredienti, ricercati, esaltano il sapore del cioccolato: peperoncino, spezie orientali, pistacchio, nocciole, zenzero e sofisticate miscele di caffè.
La Santasa in omaggio alla Santa Casa di Loreto è una morbida torta alle mandorle, un perfetto connubio tra dolcezza e genuinità.

We are at Monteciccardo, in the province of Pesaro Urbino, a pebble’s throw from the sea, on the high hills that extend into the distance. Here the unfolding of the seasons is as regular as clockwork. As cold winters segue into mild springs, hot summers and doleful autumns, the carefully and expertly nurtured vines and olive trees journey through their life cycle, balanced between struggle and serenity as nature intended, almost as though it were something no longer expected.

In harmony with the circle of life and in respect of the essential times and ways of achieving knowledge, maturity and balance, Il Conventino di Monteciccardo constructed its philosophy upon the vineyard and the cellar. The care and dedication lavished on the grape and the production of wine remind us not of a sturdy workhorse but rather a team of pedigree racehorses, with renowned vines like Famoso, Bianchello and Incrocio Bruni for the whites, and Sangiovese and Merlot for the reds, marketed under a variety of labels.

Accustomed to life, almost ready to walk off by themselves, all the wines carry the company’s hallmark traits of freshness and flavour in the whites and complexity and fullness in the reds. Green apple, kiwi, sage, rosemary and deep balsamic notes give a green tinge to the Il Conventino di Monteciccardo brand and wines.

The extra virgin olive oils, rich in polyphenol, are divided into in prestige blends and characterful monocultivars such as Ascolana Tender, Raggiola and Leccino. All give off intense almond and artichoke notes and sometimes hints of tomato leaf. And these also have green sensations, refined yet pronounced. Credit for these results must go first of all to nature in general, then the olive groves, the intelligent systems, the perfectly tuned agronomic management and an exclusive processing plant that delivers products of excellent quality.

Ties are good. To me they are gifts to defend and protect.
So, at some point in my life I decided to tie myself irrevocably to the land, and with my family I founded the Il Conventino di Monteciccardo.
Il Conventino safeguards my own nature and my roots but also preserves history and traditions that belong to everyone. I cultivate the land with this spirit and produce wine in the name of sharing.
Wine that unites and gladdens hearts, wine that creates a direct link between man and Mother Nature and ultimately nourishes the desire for life. The drive towards happiness led me to a vineyard and I hope that every sip of my wine is a worthy witness of it.
Egidio

Craftsman of flavour Paolo Mencarelli reinvents chocolate.

A taste for the good things was something he breathed from the very air as a boy. His practical talents come from the family artisanal tradition. His passion for chocolate was a flash of inspiration that seized him and never let go. We are here at Castelplanio, in the heart of upper Vallesina. This area has an identity deeply rooted in Marche and is the cradle of a tradition of culinary excellence. Here Paolo began his search for the best cocoa, looking to regions in South America and Madagascar where love and care for the fruits of the earth are just as they are on the Marche hills. He hones his skill as a master chocolatier, spurred on by the perfectionist’s desire to bring out the goodness in the raw material – in cocoa beans.