Fortezza Medicea restaurant (officially ''Cene Galeotte'', 'convict dinners') is an occasional restaurant in

Volterra Volterra (; Latin: ''Volaterrae'') is a walled mountaintop town in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its history dates from before the 8th century BC and it has substantial structures from the Etruscan, Roman, and Medieval periods. History Volter ...

, Italy. Gourmet dinners are cooked and served to paying guests by inmates in the prison housed in the town's

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

-era fortress ('' Fortezza Medicea'', ). The project began in 2006; it has been on hiatus since 2020. The fortress, built in 1474, is a high-security prison for criminals serving at least seven years. In 2006, the prison administration instituted the occasional dinners as a

rehabilitation Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to: Health * Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished * Rehabilitation (wildlife), treatment of injured wildlife so they can be retur ...

scheme. Inmates selected for their good behaviour prepare a multi-course dinner and serve it at the prison. Proceeds are donated to charity. In the inaugural season, the chef was also an inmate, serving a life term; in subsequent years, invited guest chefs have presided. Guests must apply at least two weeks in advance, undergo a background check, and on arrival show identification and be assigned a registration number; cutlery is plastic. The dinners proved popular and sell out weeks in advance. On release, several inmates have found restaurant jobs. The restaurant operates part-year, one day a month, serving a six-course meal in the former chapel or a courtyard. In September 2007, a seven-course medieval feast was served by inmates in period costume. Operations were suspended in 2020 because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

References

External links

Official website
(archived on 20 February 2020)
2019–2020 programme of dinners
(archived on 20 January 2022)
Dinner Behind Bars
Volterra, Toscana {{Restaurants in Italy Restaurants in Italy 2006 establishments in Italy Restaurants established in 2006