The soul of regional Italy in the heart of rural Australia

Photo Montage created for Antica Australis by Shani Nottingham of @rarepearstudio

“ANTICA AUSTRALIS : THE ANCIENT SOUTH”
— an-tee-ka [Latin for 'ancient']

Serving up the soul of regional Italy in the heart of rural Australia through food and storytelling. Hosted by Paolo & Kelly Picarazzi.

A regional Italian slow-food locanda in the charming historic village of Carcoar, NSW.

Recreating dishes from the ancient region of Ciociaria in central Italy using local Australian seasonal produce, sourced direct from boutique producers in our surrounding districts.

Taking inspiration from our environment to create a Ciociarian/Carcoarian fusion dining experience.

We serve a five course set menu. We serve everyone at the same time. We serve food + stories.

Real food for real people.

JOIN OUR MEMBERS LIST

#AnticaAustralis #TheAncientSouth #SaporiAntichi #AncientFlavours #AnticaExperience | @anticaexperience

Antica Australis in Carcoar was always meant to be simply an extraordinary moment in time...

and that time is now.

WE HAVE CLOSED OUR DOORS IN CARCOAR FOREVER

FROM 17 NOVEMBER 2024.

We are embarking on new adventures.

Antica Australis will live on as a pop-up at the 16th Century Emirati pearling village of Al Jazeera Al Hamra during the Ras Al Khaimah Art Festival in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE throughout February 2025. From March 2025, we will be relocating to Italy to focus on our relaunched travel brand Antica Travel Co. hosting curious, cultured travellers through adventures in Ciociaria, central Italy.

We have shared some truly magical moments with you all, a heartfelt thank you and lots of love from both of us.

Paolo & Kelly Picarazzi

“One of Australia’s top ten regional restaurants worth travelling for”
— Travel + Luxury Magazine

LOCATION:

2 Belubula Street
Carcoar NSW Australia

Carcoar is a 45 minute drive from Orange. Follow the Mitchell Highway/A32 route on GPS.

TRADING HOURS:

Antica Australis in Carcoar is now closed.

We will be presenting Antica Australis as a pop-up during the Ras Al Khaimah Art Festival throughout February 2025.

Serving a set menu at set session times - please try your best to arrive on time.

RESERVATIONS ESSENTIAL:

2-3 weeks prior to your preferred date is recommended.

Prepayment is required to confirm your booking.

JOIN OUR MEMBERS LIST

“ It’s a feast, a history lesson, a cultural immersion. You will talk about it for years.
The food will haunt your memories.”
— NEIL VARCOE @NEILWRITES
“The Ciociarian locanda that is conquering Australia”
— SBS Italy

CULTURAL & EXPERIENTIAL DESTINATION DINING.

THIS IS NOT A RESTAURANT.

Five course set menu for $150 per person, includes filtered table water. Antica is BYO.

Seasonal Set Menu changes each month. Vegetarian option offered for all set menus. Small intimate dining venue.

BOOKINGS BY EMAIL ARE ESSENTIAl. PREPAYMENT REQUIRED TO CONFIRM BOOKINGs.

We serve our set menu at set session times of 1pm for lunch and 7pm for dinner on weekends only.

Allow 2-3 hours for our cultural dining experience, you will be served food + stories.

We all commence the Antica cultural dining experience together. Please arrive on time.

Young adults are welcome at full price. Antica is not ideal for small children.

It is essential to book ahead in advance by email.

Please try and contact us with booking requests 2-3 weeks prior to the weekend to avoid disappointment.

We sometimes have surprise places available, more often we don’t - but you can try your luck!

We take bookings online through our website only.

We require online prepayment to confirm your booking.

“A joyful coming together of culture & cuisine.”
— TRAVEL + LUXURY MAGAZINE
“An unforgettable dining experience that comes with a distinctly local flavour”
— DELICIOUS AUSTRALIA

THIS IS NOT A RESTAURANT.

Antica is a Ciociarian slow-food locanda.

It’s the only one in Australia. It’s probably the only one in the world outside of Ciociaria.

It’s not fine-dining and don’t expect silver service. It’s a cultural dining experience, involving food and stories.

We transport you to regional Italy for a few hours in the middle of a charming historic Australian village.

It’s the flavour of rural Australia infused with the soul of ancient regional central Italy.

Paolo dishes up ancient & traditional Ciociarian dishes made with seasonal, hand-sourced local Australian produce.

Kelly serves up stories on the provenance and context of our local produce and the cultural heritage of the dishes.

It’s an insight into the layers of history pre-dating the ancient Romans surrounding Paolo’s home region of Ciociaria and the ancient First Nations Italic tribes he is descended from.

THROW AWAY YOUR PRECONCEPTIONS OF RESTAURANT DINING.

When you step through Antica’s doors, we are welcoming you into our space. We live here. It’s our home. You are our guests.

We offer you hospitality in the true and original sense of the word. From the Latin: hospitalitem "friendliness to guests”

…and in the spirit of the traditional regional Italian locanda (‘local dining establishment’) — it’s a generous opportunity to rest and revive your spirits.

Antica is a dining venue for serious foodies. That is, people who seriously like to eat good food.

It’s not food for Instagram. It is food to be eaten and enjoyed.

There are no flowers.

Leave your expectations at the door.

To maximise your enjoyment of the Antica experience - and the enjoyment of other guests - enter with an open mind and go with the flow.

You bring the most important ingredients: good company & good wine.

Make sure you choose wisely.

Please be mindful of other guests enjoyment of our unique food + stories format if you are joining us as a group.

“Carcoar might be a small town of just under 300 people but it has a big drawcard: Antica Australis”
— QANTAS TRAVEL INSIDER
 

Paolo is from the ‘hidden’ food and wine region of Ciociaria in central Italy [say it with us, <cho-sha-ria]. It’s just one hour south of Rome, in between Rome & Naples - but a whole world away.

Ciociaria was once the favoured foodie destination of the ancient Roman emperors, who loved its forests full of wild venison, boar and truffles, it’s plentiful olive groves and its eminently drinkable wines [Cesanese & Maturano are indigenous to the region].

Before the ancient Romans barged in around 500 BC, Ciociaria was the heartland of the original Italy and the home of the Ernici and Volscii Italic tribes - who formed an alliance together with 10 other tribes during the Samnite & Etruscan civilisation eras over 3,000 years ago to create the land known as 𐌅𐌝𐌕𐌄𐌋𐌉𐌞 [Víteliú]in an attempt to fight back the ancient Romans and defend their lands.

Pictured here is the view over the Val di Comino (Comino Valley), nestled in the arms of the Apennine Mountains and once the home of Cominium, the capital city of the Samnites.

 

Antica Australis [Latin for ‘the ancient South] is an authentic taste of a mountaintop village in Ciociaria, without having to go all the way to Italy.

Paolo cooks in the casarecce [home-made] style of his native Ciociarian region of traditional and ancient dishes showcasing local and seasonal produce.

 
 
 

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Location

2 Belubula Street
Carcoar NSW Australia

Carcoar [pop. 300] is one of Australia’s most perfectly preserved 19th century villages and is heritage listed. It is an equi-distant 45 minute drive from Orange, Cowra and Bathurst and around 4 hours from Sydney or 3.5 hours from Canberra.

View Carcoar on the map