A dish that brought everyone to the same table.

The story behind the dish

On the eve of battle.

The story belongs to local tradition, poised somewhere between historical events and legend. Its message, however, is very much alive: hospitality can find common ground even at the most unlikely moment.

It is 19 May 1859. The armies that would face one another at the Battle of Montebello are moving through the lands of Santa Giuletta. Marquis Lorenzo Isimbardi returns to his villa-castle to find four Franco-Piedmontese officers visiting.

Then two Austrian officers arrive. After the understandable tension of that unexpected encounter, the Marquis does the most hospitable thing: he invites everyone to sit down for a meal.

The castle cooks’ answer

Tradition says the cooks worked quickly and served fresh egg tagliatelle with salt-cured tongue, prosciutto, celery, butter and freshly ground pepper. A rich, direct dish made with the ingredients at hand.

For the duration of that meal, men destined to fight on opposing sides shared conversation and the same food. The tagliatelle earned everyone’s compliments and, over time, took the name of Santa Giuletta.