Forget the caviar bump; instead, the cheese bump with macerated cherries now defines the moment. You earn it the second you venture through a remote Italian forest for food, and then arrive at Baby Dicecca — Chef Vito’s restaurant to know.
A Forest Find Worth the Detour
First, you venture through the Mercadante Forest. Then, Baby Dicecca reveals itself as a wooden kiosk before unfolding into one of the most unique luxury cheese experiences in Italy. This is not just a meal. This is a destination restaurant in Puglia built on artisan craft, love of family, open flame and a heaping portion of creativity.
Yes, you may need to step outside of your comfort zone and leave the Manolos behind in order to get there, but you will be rewarded the moment you do. The menu layers every type of cheese imaginable, along with Pane di Altamura, a bread with near-mythic status since the ancient times. While the walk in feels intentional, the payoff of decadence follows soon after.
Where Craft Becomes Experience
At first glance, Baby Dicecca feels simple. With your first bite, you will immediately recognize something much more deliberate. This is where cheese-making meets art. Part restaurant, part full-sensory immersion, Baby Dicecca is an invitation to the dream life Vito shares with his wife Roberta and their daughter Ciarra.
Vito ages, cultivates and infuses each cheese with precision. Smoke from the open flame kitchen laces the air. The heady scent of milk and wild herbs coats the space as stories of the village translate into a language of taste. Each course composes itself in layers. Flavors bloom, then sharpen, then linger. Together, they build a full and decadent expression of Vito’s devotion.
Photo: Courtesy of Vito Dicecca / Facebook
What to Order
Begin simply with a heavenly bite of cloud-like, delicate Burrata as it begins to ooze onto the plate. Then, move to Dicecca Gold, where Vito shaves and slices the cheese before layering it with peppery olive oil, late-summer figs, and garden vegetables at their prime. Now, you understand why people travel for meals like this.
From there, let go of control. Vito guides you through the experience. There is almost always something aging, resting, or being tested that never officially makes the menu.
Settle in beside the open-flame kitchen and prepare to be mesmerized. If you want more, step further in to try your hand at a cheese-making class. Vito’s tasting menu offers creative, rare takes, from basil-infused goat cheese to indulgent honeyed goat milk yogurt with biscuits, and warm stracciatella that melts and coats the most sumptuous focaccia.
And finally, do not miss the Amore Privativo. This goat’s blue cheese ages through immersion, spending 100 days submerged in Primitivo, Italy’s oldest grape. It then deepens into a dramatic purple, and a flavor that lingers long after the last bite.
Photo: Courtesy of Vito Dicecca / Facebook
The Takeaway
As you make your way back though the forest in the afternoon light, what stays with you is not just the flavor, but the feeling it creates. Each bite translates into something much longer that only the generosity and care of Southern Italian hospitality can provide. Almost immediately, you feel that you belong here. And in the end, that is the real reason you walked into the forest in the first place.
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FAQs
Q: Where is Baby Dicecca located?
A: Baby Dicecca is located in the Mercadante Forest in Puglia, Italy, near Altamura. This remote Italian restaurant is a bit of a hike, so worth dropping a pin.
Q: Do you need reservations?
A: Yes, especially during weekends and peak travel months, as it is truly an intimate experience. Seating is limited indoors and out.
Q: What should I wear?
A: Wear comfortable shoes. The forest walk is part of the experience, so dress for comfort and know you may leave smelling like woodfire, in the best way.
