In the heart of the Irno Valley, Casa del Nonno 13 combines rural architecture and contemporary cuisine. After being refounded in 2022, chef Gioacchino Attianese interprets the territory with rigor and sensitivity, flanked by a solid wine cellar offering and a delicatessen dedicated to conviviality. Antonella Amodio tried it for us.
In the agricultural fabric of the Irno Valley, among the houses and vegetable gardens of the hamlet of Sant’Eustacchio, in the municipality of Mercato San Severino, Casa del Nonno 13 traces a history that interweaves territory, memory and contemporary cuisine. The restaurant is housed in an 18th-century rural palace, a building that still retains the character of the old farmhouses in the area. In this context, the catering is unique with the tradition and life of the area.
A small doorway on the street conceals the entrance to Casa del Nonno 13. Modest and unobtrusive compared to the majesty of the building, which is revealed only by crossing the threshold. Spaces follow one another between Intimate rooms and spacious environments. Vaulted ceilings and exposed tuff walls restore the authentic atmosphere of the building. While the furnishings place contemporary design elements in dialogue with ancient tools and agricultural implements.
The restaurant is developed in the old cellar and, at the back of the room, an old kitchen with Neapolitan tiles and hearth testifies to the domestic daily life of the past, which is still alive in the memory of the place.
Birth of Casa del Nonno 13 and the new phase
The project takes shape thanks to the vision of Raffaele Vitale, architect and chef, which envisions Casa del Nonno 13 as a space in which architecture and gastronomy coexist to narrate the same territory. The goal was to build a restaurant capable of expressing the culinary identity of Campania through a personal cuisine based on local and quality raw materials.
Over the years, the restaurant has established itself as a significant regional stop, even earning a star from the Michelin Guide. After Vitale’s retirement in 2017, Casa del Nonno 13 went through a transition phase, until the 2022 restart, when a group of young entrepreneurs decided to relaunch the project, preserving its historical identity. Leading the kitchen in this new phase is called Gioacchino Attianese, now also a partner of the restaurant.
The path of Gioacchino Attianese
Born in Angri in 1985, chef Giacchino Attianese built his education by going through some of the most influential kitchens in Italian gastronomy. Among the experiences that have marked his path are those alongside Domenico Iavarone at Hotel Capo La Gala’s Maxi, with Andrea Aprea at Comandante in Naples and at the Park Hyatt in Milan, as well as stints at Quattro Passi, at Palazzo Sasso with Pino Lavarra, at the Aldrovandi Villa Borghese with Oliver Glowig and at the Manzi Spa Mosaic with Nino Di Costanzo. A path that helped define a precise gastronomic style, where Campanian roots emerge clearly in the dishes.
The kitchen of Casa del Nonno 13 starts from a clear principle: tradition at the table, moving around the enhancement of raw materials, most of which come from Agro Nocerino and the surrounding countryside, and with a direct relationship with small producers.
A Mediterranean proposal
The result is a Mediterranean proposal that combines technical rigor and taste. The dishes communicate the territory through recognizable ingredients: pasta, tomatoes, vegetables and meats become central elements of a cuisine that looks to memory while maintaining a contemporary language.
Examples are some preparations related to the domestic tradition, such as scarola ‘mbuttunata – stuffed with anchovies from Cetara, sun-dried tomatoes, capers and raisins. Or Cipolla d’Orata, an onion from Montoro cooked slowly under the ashes. Minestra Maritata, prepared in the traditional way with chicken, pork, beef and vegetables. When in season, there is also peperone ‘mbuttunato.
Essential dishes, capable of expressing with precision the gastronomic identity of the area. But also open to classic preparations, such as Wellington-style filet. The tasting routes are very interesting: Territory, 5-course for €50; Experience, 6-course for €80, with separate wine pairings.
La Salumeria: a new space for conviviality
Casa del Nonno 13 has expanded with the opening of the Salumeria, a space within the restaurant designed to offer a more more informal and immediate of the same gastronomic philosophy.
The idea was created to diversify the experience, making the environments more dynamic and accessible without sacrificing the quality of the selection. Protagonists are not dishes cooked by the chef, but hams, butts and cured meats from different regions. Alongside dairy products and cheeses such as mozzarella di bufala campana
The winery
Rounding out the experience is the wine cellar, kept within the historic walls of the palace. With over nine hundred labels, represents a true wine map that crosses Italian and international territories, including big names and small artisanal producers.
Here you can also indulge in an aperitif directly among the bottles, relying on the guidance of Alessandro Pecoraro, sommelier and food & beverage manager of the restaurant.
A house of Campanian taste
Today, Casa del Nonno 13 continues to move along a coherent line in which architecture, territory and cuisine build a unified narrative. The identity of the place remains tied to its domestic and rural dimension, while the kitchen looks at the present with a conscious gaze.
With Gioacchino Attianese at the helm and the Salumeria expanding the dining experience, the restaurant continues on its path while holding firm to its vocation: to tell the story of Campania through cuisine that holds together memory, territory and contemporary sensibility.
