An enchanting medieval village that opens up in the heart of the most authentic Tuscany. Further on, a narrow road winds through the trees to the small village of Pescina. Up there, where once the tavern of the post station gave refreshment to travelers on their way, today rises the Silene by Roberto Rossi, a place of excellence, capable of gathering all the ancient knowledge of good food to give life to a dynamic cuisine and captivating, a perfect combination of the vital energy of modernity and the timeless elegance of tradition.
In Tuscany.
Distese di boschi e ulivi accompagnano lo sguardo verso Seggiano.
The essence of goodness.
Le materie prime più pregiate selezionate per ottenere la massima qualità.
It is the scents of the woods and olive groves that invite us to Roberto’s table, where each product is selected with care and experience to obtain only the highest quality dishes. The simplicity of the finest raw materials and the strong roots in the Seggianese territory are two fundamental ingredients in the cuisine of Silene, where Roberto has been able to find a deep and visceral bond with the environment and its products, developing a great respect for raw materials and for their processing and cooking techniques.
To guide him, the only desire to reach the true essence of food, returning to the origins to rediscover an intimate and atavistic relationship with the earth. If the first fruits of the Tuscan territory certainly play the leading role in the dishes of Silene, also the tradition of the other regions of Italy remains at the center of Roberto’s interests, who has elaborated a careful selection of products from all over the peninsula, convinced that “when it comes to good taste, our nation undoubtedly occupies the absolute first place in the world”.
Between the avant-garde and tradition.
Abbinamenti audaci e insieme delicati.
A tradition, the one sought after at Silene, which knows how to become avant-garde through the fervent creativity of Roberto, who with an artist’s touch knows how to propose daring and at the same time delicate combinations, capable of surprising every palate. At Silene the history of Tuscan cuisine does not tell the tradition through the typical dish, but imposes itself as a humoral and highly personal reinterpretation of what cannot be corrupted over time.
A cuisine that has renounced fashion to become a great classic.
From mushrooms to truffles, through meat and fish of the highest quality, to freshly picked vegetables: everything at Silene rigorously follows the rhythm of seasonality, a guarantee of freshness of products and testimony of the profound respect that Roberto has for his chosen environment.
A territory that the Tuscan chef knows intimately thanks to his parents, who have passed on to him the passion for cooking and for nature, teaching him secrets of the earth that cannot be learned from books, but only from the great experience of those who have always lived in those places.
Skilled hands, who know how to work with carefully selected ingredients. This is how home-made pasta was born at Silene, the emblem of a cuisine that takes shape from the know-how and experience of the people who have formed this restaurant over time as it is today: a place where culinary art has made its own the fundamental principle of every gesture of substance, to be able to do so much with little. The first rule for Roberto, in fact, is to never use too many ingredients, so that each flavor is always attributable to the raw material it is made of.
«Mine is a very simple and very consistent philosophy, which satisfies me and makes me happy to be a chef in Tuscany. Cooking is an applied art and so it is important to have a deep knowledge of the basic ingredients, their origin and the gestures required to work with them».
Leavening starter.
La massima espressione del pane.
The scent of wheat spreading in the air and the unmistakable fragrance of freshly baked bread. Ancient gestures that are still repeated today at Silene, where bread is not a simple accompaniment to the dish, but an integral part of Roberto’s culture, a completion designed ad hoc for each recipe, right from the choice of flours, which the chef selects from the menu of the day.
The main element is the mother yeast, which thanks to its microbial biodiversity guarantees natural leavening, which gives the bread a unique flavor and aroma, as well as always ensuring the full digestibility of the product . The highest quality expression of bread, to be fully enjoyed even in its essentiality, simply accompanied by a drizzle of harmonious and intense extra virgin olive oil, like the one produced at Silene.
Slow cooking and studied on the characteristics of each product. The great kitchen also passes through the work tools, the pots, which Roberto wanted as those of the past, in wrought copper, a precious material capable of guaranteeing uniform cooking that knows how to preserve the nutritional properties and the organoleptic characteristics of the materials. The shape and thickness of the foil are created by the expert hands of a craftsman, who was able to forge precious pots for Silene, the last detail of a kitchen that aims for perfection.
A selection of wines to enhance every dish. This choice of Roberto's, over time, has allowed him to create a valuable wine cellar, consisting of important bottles, including some exceptional old wines, in some cases now true rare jewels.
«Old wine is not only a pleasure for the palate, but also for the mind. The very thought that a wine lay there waiting for decades, while life flowed on, is something that goes beyond the ordinary. This is one of wine's great powers: it can sometimes go beyond man's very lifespan».
Roberto and Lella.
Una coppia affiatata ed effervescente.
Twenty years side by side in a kitchen that has been able to give great satisfaction. The relationship between Roberto and Marinella, known as Lella, his right hand and irreplaceable interpreter of every recipe, is undoubtedly one of the great secrets of Silene. As in a dish the contrast of strong and decisive flavors can give life to a surprising encounter, so the union of Roberto, proud and obstinate, and his Lella, tenacious and sincere, has been able to create a close-knit and effervescent working couple, where the dexterity of Lella has been able to give Roberto’s kitchen that extra something in the pursuit of excellence.
