About
The Dodici Zappe restaurant is the beating heart of rural heritage. The name refers to the ancient unit of measurement used by farm labourers to mark out the land: a symbol of hard work, dedication and deep-rooted traditions. A special place to dine and savour flavours that evoke childhood, the land and authenticity.
Each dish is born from the encounter between tradition and contemporary sensibility, between memory and vision. We do not chase trends, but balance. We do not seek effects, but emotions. For us, cooking means preserving a story and sharing it with those who sit at our table.
Palmento
The restaurant is located inside an old 19th-century wine press
Francesco Giura
My cooking is an invitation: slow down, breathe, listen to the earth.
Our executive chef
His hands were born in the land of Basilicata, among farmers' gestures, slowly fermenting bread, and unforgettable aromas. Sicily welcomed him and transformed him: it brought him to the sea, to the harsh light of the South, to the full flavors that speak of origin and instinct. His cuisine is ancestral because it delves back into the memory of simple things. And it is contemporary because it gives them a new, essential, elegant form.
Trained alongside masters of Italian cuisine – including two decisive years with Gualtiero Marchesi – he brings with him a vision of rigour, harmony and respect. But above all, he brings with him his origins: a culture of flavour based on truth, instinct, humility and depth. Today, he is the culinary soul of Dodici Zappe, where he intertwines his two worlds, Lucania and Sicily, in a gastronomic language that speaks of earth, fire, fermentation, seasons and roots.
His goal is not to impress, but to touch. Not to show technique, but memory. Not to describe a dish, but to tell a story.
Italiano 
English (UK)