A turning point for Accursio Craparo, known as “the chef of the two Sicilies” for his ability to combine the two souls of the island, the western and the eastern one. 2025 starts with important news: its two adjacent premises, in the center of Modica, will become one, Radici L’Osteria di Accursio, “which will continue – explains the chef, originally from Sciacca – to welcome travelers and food lovers contemporary Sicilian cuisine. The Osteria di Accursio will have its roots in the desire to tell stories that have an unprecedented ending, subject to modifications and flashbacks, as happens in the most beautiful sagas of Sicilian literature which continues to be a teacher of life”.
Until the end of 2024, Accursio and his wife Oriana Aprile had two very distinct venues, although with the same philosophy: Accursio Ristorante was the fine dining venue opened in 2014 and with a Michelin star acquired very quickly; later Radici, a contemporary trattoria, was added. Now the two spaces will merge and we will proceed with a restyling of the Radici environments to express even more precisely what, according to Accursio and Oriana, is the idea of a trattoria supported by research, sustainability, the conversion of raw materials and processes much more streamlined and immediate in the kitchen which gives importance and substance to the proposal of express dishes which, as has been done so far, will span the history of Sicily, from east to west, from north to south. “Today – says Craparo – my vision is to share a credible and genuine experience with guests, in which the ingredient returns to be the absolute protagonist, respected in its integrity, in its visual and tactile beauty, in its flavour, for reveal the essence of a territory rich in history, biodiversity and identity”.
The relationship between Craparo and Modica, the beautiful baroque city that gave birth to Tommaso Campailla and Salvatore Quasimodo, was born in 2003, after years of experience in the Dolomites, in Germany, by Pietro Leeman’s Joia, at the court of Massimiliano Alajmo. “A love at first sight that marked my return to Sicily and, at the same time, a new starting point – he describes the meeting with the town of Craparo near Ragusa -. Travel and work experiences around the world have given me comparisons with different traditions and cultures, helping me to recognise, with greater awareness, the importance of my origins, my land and my culture. Even before putting my recipes on paper, I felt the need to recognize and study this land that I had left as a boy. I thus began a journey of reconciliation to discover the thousand-year-old layers of the food culture of the Sicilian people. In the city of Modica, I immediately recognized my new home.” In 2003 Craparo worked at Gazza Ladra, inside Palazzo Failla, in Modica Alta. Then in 2014 the opening of Accursio Ristorante in Modica Bassa and in 2019 here is Radici. “The idea of the house represented the fulcrum of our project. I wanted the tavern to be the place in which to celebrate the dishes of our popular food culture, enhancing the gastronomic heritage of memory and the family hearth, giving space to the scents of childhood and the ancient flavors of our grandmothers’ recipes. All expressed in a contemporary language, making the dishes lighter, more digestible and with an extensive use of garden products”.
At the end of 2024 Accursio Ristorante had two tasting menus (Explorations, 11 courses, 155 euros; and Landscapes, 9 courses, 135 euros) and among its dishes were The arrival of the breeze (oyster, almond milk, sorbet lemon), Dipinto di Blu (roasted squid, goat’s ricotta and Pane e Cipolla (gratinated with spices and cheese Flower
Sicano). Radici’s proposal was simpler: Baked ricotta with broccoli, black olives, bacon and dried tomatoes, Fried pasta with meat sauce and cheese, Mixed boiled meat, potatoes and herb sauce.