Strong communities are created by strong families. So important is this human need, if for whatever reason our biological one might fails us, we will be driven to create one for ourselves. It is the embodiment of connectedness, nurture and comfort.

La Fattoria is indeed that family. It is its inspiration, its foundation, its discipline and its proof. This farmhouse is an incredible, unfolding transformation over three generations that celebrates its ninth year of providing the best of bold, Sicilian cuisine and the bonds of togetherness.

The Foundation: Eighty Years of Heritage

Not even the restrictions of the pandemic severed those ties. La Fattoria devised an impressive drive-through, contactless service that honoured the value of community, and how to express that love and care from the Perth Hills place that has been home to Radice’s since 1945.

Eighty years for a family tree to take root on the same property gives space and stability unknown by most. And it’s here that virtues and visions in the blood, sweat and tears of kin to reach actuality. Luezza Radice is the name that began it all, and whose spirit lives on as Nonna, with the Italian hospitality she left steeped into the land. Imagine what it took in 1945 to clear 10 hectares of land to establish a stone fruit orchard. Consider the knowledge and the dedication it takes to keep that going for eight decades, and expanding it in 2016 to include a vineyard.

All part of what makes La Fattoria not to be missed. It may be off the beaten track, and it’s a serendipitous introduction to walking onto the property into a different world that implores you to drop the trials and tedious parts of life, for a dining experience like no other.

The Dining Experience: Nonna’s Family Table

On Fridays it’s four courses over three hours; on the weekend a more leisurely five courses and four hours to delight in Nonna’s Family Table degustation menu.

Showcasing the best of their orchard and locally sourced produce, the seasonal set menu begins with a traditional chisciol, and antipasto with olives and Nonna’s recipe for an unforgettable Italian sausage. Slow cooked lamb is served with parmesan mash cake, and a delicious spring slaw with the sweet, mild anise of fennel that brings together a creamy balsamic dressing like a long-awaited reunion. Dessert is a dreamily light, moist olive oil chocolate cake, heavenly enhanced with orchard candied orange, orange curd, hazelnuts and whipped cream.

Wine Pairings

Optional wine pairing from the vineyard is a must. Cellar door sparkling Vermentino and Brachetto, Vermentino and Fiano are complete palate pleasers. For those not vibing the vino, La Fatt Granny Sparkling Apple Cider is a great alternative. Rainwater in its purest form from La Fattoria’s underground stream is reason enough to appreciate the care and thought that goes into everything that reaches your table.

Weather permitting, umbrellaed outdoor tables are available for 11 am and 2 pm bookings for the more casual option of Pick-a-Platter.For groups of up to eight and plenty of space for kids to run around, an extensive menu is on offer with vegetarian and vegan options; each dish a serving for four. Devise your own formidable feast with the likes of Nonna’s Sicilian beef meatballs, Nonna’s cauliflower and anchovy fritters, and baked lemon thyme arancini. Coupled with pots of your own selection of homemade, ingredient-fresh-from-the-farm sauces, each is its own stand-out. Baked polenta fingers are definite dippers for salsa verde, roasted red pepper pesto, and cannelini hummus to keep the table humming.

A Continuing Legacy

Luezza’s grandson Eric, and his outstanding self-taught cook wife Lucy, have opened their 1930 home in the Piesse Brook Valley to promote and preserve what it means to belong to a family. Become part of it. Book in for a 60-minute wine flight and join the wine club. Take everything that’s important with you back home and break bread with conversation, laughter and love.

Enjoy the impeccable service that complements a no-rush food fest with sumptuous wines, beautiful grounds and stunning views. Bellissimo!

• Phone Bookings Essential: (08) 9293 7888 (Children catered for)
• Address: 211 Merivale Road, Pickering Brook, Western Australia