Antica Australis to present at 2025 Ras Al Khaimah Art Festival in the UAE
The Antica Australis cultural dining experience will be transported to the 16th century Emirati pearling village of Al Jazeera Al Hamra for the third year running to present during the Ras Al Khaimah Art Festival in February 2025.
Al Jazeera Al Hamra Heritage Village is the last remaining village of its kind in the UAE and is undergoing a process of restoration and revitilisation with the ambition of transforming it into one of the UAE’s premier cultural and heritage destinations, with the Ras Al Khimah Art Festival one of its main attractors.
Human settlements on the site have been dated back to the Bronze Age and Al Jazeera Al Hamra’s rich history intersects with the revitalisation of the village in the modern era to create an ideal blend of the ancient with the new.
‘Where Creativity Meets Tradition’, the Ras Al Khaimah Art Festival is a beacon of inspiration and a catalyst for contemporary arts and the preservation of Emirati cultural heritage in the UAE. Set against the backdrop of the stunning traditional Emirati architecture of Al Jazeera Al Hamra, amongst restorations and ruins, the Festival provides an unparalleled contrast of global contemporary arts and Emirati cultural heritage.
Husband and wife team, Paolo & Kelly Picarazzi, are proud to present Antica Australis in this year’s Festival edition for the third year in a row - in the recently restored Bayt 7 family villa compound with interior & exterior designs provided by well-known Italian deigner, Ernesto Fusco. Seating 25 guests in a courtyard setting filled with bougainvillea and fairylights, with an ancient Ghaf tree at its centre (the national tree of the UAE and a symbol of tolerance, stability and peace), the Emirati version of Antica Australis is a spell-bounding and quite magical dining experience.
“We loved it so much! Everything – the amazing authentic food, the beautiful setting, the wonderful storytelling! The dedication, passion, sustainable ideas, narrative and sophisticated slow-food culture...the whole experience was from another universe.”- 2024 RAKART Festival Guest
With its signature format of a five-course set menu with storytelling, the Antica Australis pop-up during RAKART 2025 will once again showcase a fusion Italian/Emirati menu starring local and organic produce sourced direct from UAE farms and producers - including the private organic farm of the Royal Palace.
Antica Australis at Al Jazeera Al Hamra Heritage Village will be open for Saturday lunch & dinner and Sunday lunch dining sessions over each festival weekend this coming February 2025. Chef Paolo will also be hosting two fun and interactive gnocchi-making classes on Friday 14 & Friday 21 February. More details available soon on the Festival website.
Tickets for all Antica Australis dining events and cooking classes are available through the festival website and must be purchased in advance. Places are strictly limited.