This catering and banqueting company specialising in the recovery of ancient Roman recipes has developed further events with a historical flavour.
 
“We offer emotions”. That is what Marco Carli, owner of Pompeii’s famous gourmet restaurant Il Principe, says when introducing the new catering and banqueting features of his business. “One of our most popular items, especially with international guests, are the dinners we organise inside the archaeological excavations at Pompeii, including in the Large Palaestra wrestling school, and in the marvellous scenario of the imperial amphitheatre at the foot of the volcano”.
The dinners have gradually evolved and have become increasingly complex and suggestive, based on meticulous “philological” research of Latin texts, Pompeii’s frescoes and mosaics, which have brought back to life the dishes and recipes of ancient Rome, enhanced on each occasion by a careful study of the ambience: ancient music and dances, Graeco-Roman wrestling shows, theatrical performances and thrilling tours of the site against a son et lumière backdrop. “Basically the dinners are increasingly similar to the concept of the ancient banquet, an occasion for entertainment and culture,” says Carli.
A new, recently-launched product, is quite different from the hedonistic ancient Roman theme and focuses on mysticism: Mountains and Meditation is a trek up Mount Vesuvius, which sets off at dawn and arrives at the volcanic crater. As the sun rises, Lama Yulu Rimpoche guides participants in meditation exercises, with yoga and breathing exercises. The experience ends with the entrance of the chefs from Il Principe, who prepare a lavish brunch using natural produce from the Vesuvian area.
These events are extremely popular with many international companies. The most recent have included All State Group, an American insurance company, who had a 500-person barbecue on Vesuvius; Maserati, who opted for a convention dinner for 450, held in ancient Pompeii’s Large Palaestra; McKinsey, who requested a gala dinner for 250, organized in the imperial amphitheatre, also in old Pompeii.
May 2007 |
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