ANTICA AUSTRALIS X RAKART 2025

Antica Australis is a unique cultural dining experience inspired by the ancient Ciociarian cuisine of central Italy – and infused with Emirati flavours with an Australian twist for its Ras Al Khaimah Art Festival pop-up festival events. Artisanal produce, passionate culinary artistry and vibrant storytelling – all set in an enchanting Emirati courtyard in the 16^th century pearling village of Al Jazeera Al Hamra.

The Antica Australis Cultural Dining Experiences will be presented each Saturday 1pm & 7pm and Sunday 1pm across all four Festival weekends commencing from Saturday 1 to Sunday 23 February 2025.

This is Antica’s third and final year presenting as part of the RAKART Festival at the spell-binding heritage village of Al Jazeera Al Hamra, so make sure you don’t miss out! Places are strictly limited to 24 guests per dining session and reservations in advance are essential.

Our RAKART 2025 menus feature locally-sourced, hand-selected and seasonal produce from Ras Al Khaimah’s organic farms and greenhouses; its’ cloud olive groves, the Jebel Jais mountain pomegranate orchards and bee hives with native Sidr and Samr honey ; as well as saffron, foraged spices and Emirati specialities from RAK Old Town Souq and Al Qattf figs all the way from Abu Dhabi’s Liwa Oasis. PLUS: fresh UAE ocean catches and high-quality Australian beef & lamb – the festival menus of Antica Australis have been designed with vibrancy, spontaneity and joy.

Husband and wife team, Paolo & Kelly Picarazzi opened the award-winning Antica Australis cultural dining experience in the historic village of Carcoar in regional New South Wales, Australia in March 2020.

Ciociarian native, Paolo and Australian national Kelly co-created Antica Australis with an overarching vision for creating a destination dining blueprint that would contribute to the economic and social revival of heritage villages through increased tourism and support for local artisans. By 2022, Antica Australis in Carcoar was noted as ‘one of the ten best regional restaurants in Australia worth travelling for’ by Travel + Luxury magazine and SBS Italian called it ‘the Ciociarian locanda that conquered Australia.’

In 2023, Paolo and Kelly expanded the Antica Experience brand profile by relaunching their cultural travel experiences company under the newly aligned brand of Antica Travel Co. They are now focused on hosting a series of sold-out cultural, gourmet and cycling travel experiences through the undiscovered regions of Ciociaria & Molise in central Italy throughout 2025 and 2026.

This is the third and final year Antica Australis will be presenting as part of the Ras Al Khaimah Art Festival in the stunning and atmospheric village of Al Jazeera Al Hamra. They have now closed the doors of Antica Australis in regional Australia and are on their way to new adventures in central Italy.

Follow the Antica Australis experience on Instagram.

In Ras Al Khaimah we are supported by a gorgeous multi-cultural team of Indian, Nepalese and Filipino superstars.

Proudly and Gratefully Sponsored by RAK Porcelain and Monviso Water.

All photo credits: Antica Australis