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


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.

[don’t take the secret back road for locals from Millthorpe unless it’s daylight - it’s a dirt road and you’ll feel lost!]

TRADING HOURS:

Saturday 1pm & 7pm | Sunday 1pm.

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

Will open for private groups of minimum 10 guests on Friday evenings on request.

RESERVATIONS ESSENTIAL:

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

Prepayment is required to confirm your booking.

Gift vouchers no longer available.

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
 
 

 

Stay Social

Chi ci ama ci segua - who loves us follows us

Instagram   Facebook   TripAdvisor

 

 
 

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