Oliva Ristorante in Rome’s The First Musica

This summer Rome welcomes two fabulous new openings to its food and hotel hotspots with The First Musica, a boutique hotel of The Pavilions Rome group with its culinary star Oliva Ristorante led by Chef Fabio Pecelli.

The Pavilions Hotels and Resorts

The Pavilions Hotels and Resorts group, already the owner of The First Arte and The First Dolce welcomes The First Musica, a 5-star luxury hotel that completes the group’s accommodation and fine dining offer with this beautiful property overlooking the Lungotevere dei Mellini.

The First Musica

Glass, oncrete, steel, crystal and gold are the materials used in the major renovation and modernization project that has seen the pre-existing office complex built in 1964 by architect Mario Docci transformed into a rare architectural attraction.

“The exceptional context of the building, located within a nineteenth-century neighborhood and centrally located along the Tiber, along with its intended use, a luxury five-star hotel, suggested choices in which the sober elegance of the whole grants space to select scenographic touches of great visual impact,” says Antonio Marincola, owner of Marincola Architects, which specializes in the design of luxury hotels and residences.

Pavilions Group has decided to focus on luxury hotels, significantly raising the expectations of The First brand, which will see its offer expanded with upcoming stops in Milan, Capri and Porto Cervo. The opening of The First Musica completes the original project of the Roman Urban Resort, with a boutique hotel service focused on the individual guest, a type of attention the group is banking on to distinguish itself and to offer an unparalleled experience,” reads a note from the group. “The First group has an employee-to-customer ratio of 3.1, three times that of any other luxury hotel.

The philosophy of the various The Firsts rests on the peculiarities of each individual property: those who stay in one of The Firsts can also enjoy the services of the other hotels. After exploring the visual and tactile realms, this new opening focuses on the auditory and sound experience through a series of dedicated playlists in each area of the hotel. Music rounds out The First’s offerings with a beautiful spa with a 20-meter swimming pool as well as a gymnasium – customers while being in a boutique hotel will have the services of a large luxury hotel at their disposal.”

A project of redevelopment and enhancement of the building now makes it look like a transparent treasure chest of remarkable visual impact that at certain times of the day reflects a golden light that recalls the Ara Pacis, the ancient monument from the time of Emperor Augustus that stands on the opposite side of the river, right in front of the hotel. Roman antiquities are not the only attraction in the setting.

Oliva Ristorante

From the palace’s spectacular terraces, Rome does indeed appear in its unspoiled beauty: this is where The First Musica’s culinary proposal has found its place, represented by the Oliva Ristorante, located on the fifth floor and protected by aerial windows that transform it into a winter garden, and by the other restaurant space, Alto, located on the sixth and seventh floors of the structure.

“We want to be different, to have a thoughtfulness in dedicating a certain level of service to the customer, a care not always available in large hotels, and that will happen at Oliva and Alto as well.” Leading the operations in the kitchen is Fabio Pecelli, 34 from Rome, the new executive chef at The First Musica, which offers classically inspired cuisine but reinterpreted in a contemporary key, which aims to be democratic in terms of taste thanks to dishes characterized by the intensity and recognizability of the flavors.

“Oliva’s is an Italian Made cuisine with classic recipes in a contemporary key: we do not want to distort the culinary history of our country, but to reread it through new cooking methods that allow us to enhance prime ingredients of absolute quality. In the open kitchen, barbecuing will play a leading role, which will allow us to give an unmistakable flavor to meat, fish and vegetables,” says Fabio Pecelli.

Oliva tells the story of Italy through its traditional cuisine, a kaleidoscope of flavors typical of each region. Tradition, history and technique come together to give life to a “complex simplicity” resulting from the study of every detail, in both the kitchen and the service. Behind the classic dishes lies the respect and meticulous study of a culture, in all its varied complexity.

“We want to give life to a great Italian restaurant, a place in which to offer cuisine that is direct in taste, enhances the raw materials and allows for a fulfilling dining experience. Alto’s menu with faster and fresher proposals (raw fish and international proposals) will be complemented by the pizza of Jacopo Mercuro (owner of 180 Gr), a friend and colleague who has given new luster to the Roman tonda and who will collaborate with The First Musica to make our food experience even more appealing,” stresses Fabio Pecelli.

From Oliva’s menu guests will be able to choose dishes such as Vitello Tonnato, Battered Pumpkin Flower with Cantabrian Anchovies and Crunchy Coda alla Vaccinara, and then move on to homemade pastas such as linguine with homemade pesto or spaghetto all’Oliva, a puttanesca made with a centrifuge of olives, tomato, capers and oregano. Space will then be given to traditional Roman classics with Cacio e Pepe and Carbonara, as well as to main courses with Milanese-style Veal Chop and Green Pepper Fillet.

The grill will then allow the characteristics of quality meats to be enhanced, with cooking on the bone and a special focus on poultry such as chicken and quail, to bring to the table proposals such as Fiorentina di Scottona (T-bone steak) and Thigh of Guinea fowl alla cacciatora (hunters’ style). All this in an informal space that is carefully designed to create an elegant and welcoming environment that can accommodate up to 50 place settings spread between the main dining room and the small covered terrace.

“We want to make sure that at Oliva’s customers can enjoy themselves, not only thanks to the proposals of the kitchen, but also with a dining room service of the highest level,” Pecelli stresses, “Alto is the perfect complement to our gastronomic proposal thanks to an agile menu that will allow customers to be able to have a ‘long’ aperitif, to enjoy Roman-style round and fried pizza, oil and olive-based proposals, cocktails from our Drink List, not to mention the entire section dedicated to pastry in collaboration with Velo (the pastry shop of The First Dolce) with Bombe, Croccantino and the most representative dish, Ovo… Misù, as well as not forgetting the fantastic Sicilian brand ice creams and granitas.”

www.pavilionshotels.com

Oliva Ristorante in Rome’s The First Musica

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