Benedict XVI has sent a letter to his favorite restaurant in Rome

By Emanuela De Crescenzo – Pope emeritus Joseph Ratzinger, who died December 31 at the age of 95, sent a letter to the managers of his favorite restaurant in Rome, Italy’s capital, soon after he assumed the leadership of the Catholic Church with the name of Benedict XVI, in 2005.

“Thank you for making me feel at home,” said the German, who naturally, as Pope, had to stop frequenting the “Tyrolean Winery”, in via Vitelleschi, in the Borgo district, a restaurant a few minutes’ walk from the Vatican.

The site received Benedict XVI several times when he was still only a cardinal. He felt at ease there, he had “his place” at that square table for eight, made of solid wood, like the benches.

Now, a plaque, his letters of thanks and two photos, one of which with John Paul II, commemorate the religious right on the wall next to where he sat. In this intimate place, he was able to savor the flavors of his land.

Among her favorite dishes was the homemade strudel, prepared according to the old Tyrolean recipe. The restaurant managers knew how loyal he was as a customer, so as not to leave him without dessert even after becoming Pope.

“Every April 16, his birthday, Ratzinger received a strudel, his favorite dessert. We used to take him directly to the Vatican: he underwent several sessions and checks, but something definitely arrived because we regularly receive his letter of thanks ”, says Alessandra D. ‘Amico, who manages the restaurant together with the owners.

The “Tyrolean Cellar”, opened in 1971 by Gertrude Macher, originally from Graz, a city in southern Austria, has always tried to preserve Austrian culinary traditions and also guarantee the confidentiality so appreciated by many of its customers, often illustrious and resident in the Vatican Walls or nearby.

Then it was his daughter Manuela who took care of the place: «It was she who welcomed Ratzinger for years. The cardinal came here at least once every two weeks or in the company of prelates, cardinals, but also alone. “He’s a big beer drinker. On the contrary, he preferred orange juice. He ate all our Tyrolean dishes, like goulash, but he especially liked dumplings, or Knödel,” she added.

The dish consists of stale white bread, seasoned with chives, eggs, grains and onions, dipped in meat stock.

“He loved our cuisine because it was his, that of the origins”, remembers D’Amico.

Now the “Tyrolean Cellar” is managed by Manuela’s son, Riccardo. He is keen to recall that the restaurant was frequented by Benedict XVI with a collection of articles dedicated to the favorite foods that Ratzinger loved to eat there, a few steps from the Vatican, but as if he were still in Bavaria.

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Source: Terra

Camila

Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.