Follie, the Villa Agrippina Gran Meliá Rome Restaurant extends summer dining

There's still time to enjoy summer outdoors, especially when the setting is the beauty of Villa Agrippina Gran Melia in Rome.

Throughout the month of September, Follie, the fine dining restaurant at the urban resort just steps from Vatican City, is moving outside to the Gala Deck to close out the summer season en plein air.

A different way to experience chef Alfonso D'Auria's cuisine, taking advantage of the last evenings of the summer and an informal and charming setting, immersed in the greenery and tranquility of the villa.

"We wanted to try moving Follie outdoors just as people are returning to the city from vacation and the evenings still invite you to stay outside," says chef Alfonso D'Auria. "The menu remains the same, but the way you experience it changes.

This experiment will allow us to understand if we can transform the open-air experience into something broader and more structured that could find a new form as early as next season."

The gastronomic offering remains the same as currently on the menu, with three tasting menus inspired by the chef's children – Asia, Giovanni and Gabriel –, three personal interpretations of D'Auria's cuisine, combining memory, matter and nature:

• "ASIA" is a journey of grace, precision, and delicate contrasts, where the sea takes center stage. From the scallops with almonds, celery, and mustard, to the red prawns with brioche bread, lemon, and chicken toffee, to the tuna tortelli. The mixed pasta with razor clams and black lemon precedes the snapper with zucchini and mint, to name just a few.
• "GIOVANNI" offers a more textured and intense cuisine, rooted in Italian tradition. Lamb with provolone del Monaco and tarragon, risotto with beef, celeriac, and chocolate, sea bass with prosciutto and sage, and pluma with cruschi peppers and chard create a journey of distinct and recognizable flavors, culminating with chocolate, amaretti, mascarpone, and chicory capè.
• Finally, "GABRIEL" interprets a simple and spontaneous cuisine, inspired by the primal act of gathering and tasting. Seaweed, plankton mayonnaise, sour cream and sprouts, watermelon, raspberry and sesame, spaghetti with tomato and basil, escarole with black garlic, olives and pine nuts lead to the fresh and light dessert of Lemon, licorice and limoncello.

Each course concludes with the chef's final touch, a small symbolic tasting: Carbonara, a must-try in the capital, for Asia and Giovanni's courses, and Pasta alla Nerano for the one dedicated to Gabriel.

All dishes are also available à la carte.

The “Special Carbonara” also remains on the menu, Alfonso D'Auria's personal interpretation of the great icon of Roman cuisine.