The history of Alcide
The Story of a Family
The beginnings
In the 20’s Alcide Ancillotti began to offer fish dishes in his restaurant at Poggibonsi: it was a group of workers from Livorno who worked on the railways who gave him the idea: he started to buy fresh fish from Porto Ercole for the restaurant.
Following this Alcide began a commercial activity at the fish market which developed rapidly in the following ten years. It was the sons Sandro and Beppe who started the ball rolling, especially Beppe who was under age and went around Italy by train to look for fish to buy and then sent it by train to Poggibonsi.
At the end of the 30’s the sale of fish was going very well so the Company of Ancillotti bought forms of transport for the fish which was acquired above all from the area of Argentario (at that time it was an area with excellent ports, fishing boats and
fishermen), the transport of which was taken care of by Beppe and Sandro.
The 60’s
As from the year 1960 thanks to the introduction of refrigerated lorries everything was easier and less frantic: the fish could remain in the refrigerator of the lorry for many hours.
Thus one lost that magic moment of sacrifice and many hours of driving in order to bring excellent fish to the Senese and Florentine tables which in those days was difficult to taste
in the city.
Due to the memory of those times the Alcide Group (which had become the leader in
distribution of fish products to the restaurants) created an event which could add glory to
this “enterprise” of Beppe and Sandro “The Alcide Race”, the undertaking that created social and economic moments in our territory in the years 40 and 50’s,
which is reported in those years … when in the little villages that it passed through and the people heard their coming from afar shouted…..” the Ancillotti are coming!!!!
its quarter past 9″… so they set their watches and prepared to choose their fish.
Present Times
The Ancillotti family has continued to prepare “Cacciucco Soup”, bream and sea bass with love and dedication which is past down from generation to generation and are perfectly expressed in delicacies served at table.
Alcide has brought his experience beyond the restaurant to qualified catering capable of preparing an event in villas, castles and agreeable locations in the most beautiful parts of Tuscany.