Luxury travelers these days are seeking new experiences, particularly culinary/dining experiences. This may explain why diners across Europe are flocking to what could perhaps be the most exclusive restaurant in Italy - one located inside a top security prison, where the chefs and waiters are Mafiosi, thieves and murderers.
Under the watchful eye of armed prison guards, a 20-strong team of chefs, kitchen hands and waiters prepares 120 covers for diners who have all undergone strict security checks. No knives, no forks no glass, everything is served in plastic. The guests enjoy their meals and although the security seems at first very daunting and imposing, they get over it quite quickly and forget about the guards.
Serenaded by Bruno, a pianist doing life for murder, the clientele eat inside a deconsecrated chapel set behind the 60ft walls, watch towers, searchlights and security cameras of the daunting 500 year-old Fortezza Medicea, at Volterra near Pisa. Tables are booked up weeks in advance.
The prison director, Maria Grazia Giampiccolo, said the inmates had developed a flair for their cooking. "I feel haute cuisine in a place like this prepares the inmates for when they are eventually released." Cooking is one way to an early release and finding a job on the outside.
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