Pineto on the Adriatic coast of Abruzzo is one of several coastal towns hugely popular in the summer for its sandy beaches and warm sea, and also its excellent supply of freshly caught fish which is available in many of restaurants and bars. Not all these restaurants however are open all year round, and so we were relieved when on a Sunday in November we stumbled across Pineto’s L’antico porto del Cerrano, located near the center of the town.
L’antico porto del Cerrano has an unusual facade making it quite easy to spot, dark brown wooden boards and net drapings that lend a faux-nautical air to the restaurant from the outside, whilst inside it is smart and well-appointed, with attractive white & overlaid red crinkled tablecloths and interesting maritime & locally inspired artwork including a heavily romanticised view of the nearby tower of Cerrano and a wine-cork rendition of the same, some admittedly slightly naff exposed “stonework” letting the look down slightly. The young staff were friendly and patient with our poor Italian, and we were presented with clean and simple menus to help us with our choices.
We kicked off with the recommended selection of L’antico porto del Cerrano’s hot antipasti accompanied by an insalata di mare, the latter wonderfully presented in a black seashell-shaped plate though which would have possibly benefitted with the addition of some lemon…
the antipasti was an excellent selection, comprising bruschette with good, new olive oil, some breaded scallops and a selection of frutti di mare dishes with octopus & calamari, one with aubergine the other tomato, as well as the inevitable pre-stuffed & breaded shrimp-like creature that I am never quite sure how to approach, but from the little meat I managed to scrape out was very tasty…
these were followed by a potent zuppa with farro, which was good but rich, and a prawn in butter & parsley sauce.
For primi piatti we opted for a maltagliati pasta dish with shrimps and zucchini (slightly skimpy on the scampi alas!) and a torchietti-type pasta dish with pieces of fish and vongole, the pasta for both being excellently al dente though again a little lemon or additional seasoning would not have gone amiss…
This combination was more than filling enough for us, even with the prospect of a wintery walk down Pineto’s beach to follow, amongst the pine trees that make the area famous. We had a fine bottle of delicate rosé prosecco with the meal which was served with ice-bucket (the presence of which cannot always be taken for granted).
Definitely a good restaurant, L’antico porto del Cerrano is slightly more upmarket than some, and although the main courses were still relatively reasonably priced considering it was seafood it was overall quite expensive, certainly by our experience of Abruzzo standards; prosecco for example was slightly higher than we’ve paid elsewhere for the same brand @ €18, though did work very well with the food, and made a pleasant change from the vino novello we had been quaffing so regularly recently…
Price – €72 for 2 people for 2 courses including a bottle of prosecco and bottled water
Value for money – 6/10
Quality of food – 7/10
L’antico porto del Cerrano Contact Details
Address: Via C. De Titta, 32, Pineto, 64025 (TE)
Tel: 0859 492 020 | No email or website
Unsure, but possibly open every day…
All cards accepted
Author: Sam Dunham
Sam is a very lucky midlife 'mamma' to A who is 12 and juggles her work as a self-employed freelance SEO food and travel copywriter and EFL teacher. She is the founder of the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, co-founder of Let's Blog Abruzzo. she is the founder of the 'English in the Woods' initiative, teaching English outdoors in a forest style school.
