Vale la Pena in Rome, craft beers and focaccia from prison to pub as social redemption
Vale la Pena in Rome, Tel. 377 049 9875. At Via Eurialo 22, a short distance from the Furio Camillo metro station, we find a rare gem: the Vale la Pena pub & shop promotes the tasting and sale of prison products, which, as a tool for resocialization, combats and reduces recidivism.
The three-person management team is Massimo, Veronica, and Oscar, the mastermind behind the "Prison Economy" program, which aims to collect and distribute the delicacies of small-scale artisanal producers, funded by cooperatives and businesses, within prisons. The staff also includes inmates and former inmates who, having learned the trade, find employment in the labor market. The interplay between free and inmates in the staff is also successfully applied to the food offering: "free" and "inmate" products interact, mutually enhancing each other.
The culinary offering, essential and particular, is ironically evocative: the tasting of bruschetta “Le galeotte” (6) includes 2 with Colonnata lard, 2 with DOP buffalo mozzarella burrata and dried tomatoes and 2 with mortadella, pecorino and pistachio cream from the Coop “Sprigioniamo sapori” active in the Ragusa prison.
Among the focaccias (6), strictly homemade, “La mazzetta” with DOP buffalo mozzarella from Campania, mortadella and pistachio cream, “La soffiata” with DOP buffalo mozzarella from Campania, raw ham, broccoli rabe from the “Fuga di sapori” brand from the Alessandria penitentiary and “Focac-cella” with DOP buffalo mozzarella and, as a choice, broccoli rabe, aubergines or peperonata, also from the “Fuga di sapori” brand.
The sandwiches (7.5) could not be missed: “Freearielli” with smoked provola from Campania DOP, porchetta and, of your choice, aubergines, peperonata or broccoli rabe, “Provola a prendermi” with smoked provola from Campania DOP, cold cuts and vegetables of your choice and “Area verde” with smoked provola from Campania DOP, dried tomatoes and vegetables.
In the spirit of sociability and conviviality, the platters: “Tagliere la corda” (16) with 250g DOP buffalo mozzarella from Campania, Napoli salami, dried tomatoes, “Fuga di sapori” vegetable trio and focaccia, “La banda degli affettati” (18) with raw ham, Milano salami, spicy salami, mortadella, DOP buffalo ricotta from Campania, pecorino cheese, caciotta cheese, dried tomatoes, olives, honey from the Vasto prison and taralli from the Coop. Field of miracles operating in the Trani prison, “Vis a vis” (14) with breadsticks from the “Farina nel sacco” bakery at the “Lorusso e Cotugno” prison in Turin, raw ham, 200g DOP buffalo mozzarella from Campania, dried tomatoes, olives, balsamic vinegar reduction, oil and oregano and, lastly, “Fuorigregge” (13) with ricotta and DOP buffalo mozzarella from Campania, trio of cheeses, honey, salted almonds from the Coop. Soc. L'Arcolaio-Dolci evasioni operating in the Siracusa prison and focaccia. Sharing and involvement inspire the gastronomic proposal: the original names of the gastronomic proposal are the fruit of collaboration with the imaginative clientele.
On the bar, six taps for the thirsty (small, 30cl, 5cl, medium, 40cl, 6cl). The "Vale la pena" beer, a venture by the "Semi di libertà" association, comes in five different styles: "Regina Birrae" Pilsner, in honor of the Capitoline Prison, with a floral, bread-crusted aroma; "Amarafemmena" American IPA with a bitter taste and citrusy aroma; "Fa er Bravo" American Pale Ale, a ruby red with an intense but not overwhelming bitterness; and "'A gattabuia" Schwarzbier, a dark beer with a balanced aroma of cocoa, coffee, and licorice. Finally, born from a collaboration with the "EquoEvento" association, which collects surplus food from catering and large events for distribution to the needy, "RecuperAle" is a Bread Pale Ale, the first to recover food and people. The last tap is reserved for guests: the pub integrates and periodically renews its offering by welcoming labels from other breweries. There is also a vast choice of bottles: the “Vale la Pena” beer (5) is joined by the creations of the brewery that the “Pausa Caffè” Coop has set up in the Saluzzo penitentiary (6) and the SBAM beer (6) which, an acronym for Social Brewery Alta Murgia, promotes the integration of young people with psychiatric problems.
If you are a cocktail lover, there is something for you too: classics (8), long drinks (7) and spritz in the three variants Aperol, Campari and Hugo (6). Finally, white and red wines (5 per glass, 18 per bottle), soft drinks (3.5) and fruit juices (2.5). There is also a coffee shop (1 euro for an espresso, 1.2 for a decaffeinated coffee): “Caffè galeotto” from the Rebibbia prison and “Caffè Lazzarelle” from the women's prison in Pozzuoli, where we can also taste teas, herbal teas and infusions (3.5) with “Cotti in Flagranza” biscuits directly from the “Malaspina” juvenile prison in Palermo.
Those who are satisfied can "plunder" the shelves of the small but well-stocked shop inside the pub. The "Economia Carceraria" product catalog will guide you and, perhaps, pique your interest. The shop is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:30 a.m. The pub is open daily from 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. On Sundays, it closes at midnight. Reservations are recommended on weekends.
Vale la Pena Pub & Shop, via Eurialo, 22 - Tel. 377 049 9875 - the shop is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:30 am. The pub is open Monday to Saturday from 6 pm to 2 am, and on Sundays from 6 pm to midnight. Website – Facebook page.