23. Amaretto di Guarcino

The delightful village, located at the foot of the Ernici Mountains in an area of great naturalistic importance, was founded around the 8th century as an Aernic centre, later becoming Roman, as testified by the remains of thermal baths and aqueducts. But Guarcino is also known throughout the Ciociaria area and beyond for the production of the Amaretto of the same name, a sweet made with bitter and sweet almonds, sugar, egg white and wafers, which tradition dates back about a century. According to village tales, already in the Middle Ages, during the hunting season, the local lords used to find refreshment at the Rocca di Rivituro on Monte della Costacalla, to consume the delicious meat of hares, wild boar and pheasants, sheep's milk cheeses, pizzas made from wheat flour and, above all, almond-based sweets. Over the centuries, the isolated position and wild beauty of the place was also an attraction for many hermits, documented is in fact the passage to Guarcino of St Benedict during the journey from Subiaco to Montecassino. And it is precisely to a monk that the most accredited tradition links the production of the biscuit: the story goes that the recipe was given by an old monk to the inhabitants of Guarcino in gratitude for having offered him food and rest after miles and miles of walking. Since then, the recipe has been handed down from generation to generation, keeping unchanged the steps that are rigorously carried out by hand. To this confectionery excellence, the town dedicates a festival that takes place every year in summer.