I spent my summer gallivanting around Europe, and one of the things I found myself missing most when I got back to the United States was a sandwich dripping in fresh mozzarella and arugula on fresh baked schiacciata.
I was finally able to satiate my cravings with the authentic eats at Ciaccia. In nearby Belmont, a taste of Central Italy has ventured into Charlottesville. This adorable counterpart to the bakery Belle has the same owners creating authentic Roman-style flatbreads and Tuscan-style schiacciata sandwiches. With fresh ingredients and knowledgeable staff, Ciaccia is my new corner of Italy to escape in.
The expansion of Belle — an extremely popular french bakery where Ciaccia resides — into lunch has been wildly successful. The restaurant is built into the bakery, with the order counter in the front surrounded by the kitchen. The aroma of doughnuts wafts in as you order your food and is surrounded by sunny yellow tables and chairs for diners to enjoy their lunch.
Nestled in the back of Belmont, at 407 Monticello Road, the shop is barely a 10-minute drive from central Grounds, perfect to dash in between classes for a bite. They have a small parking lot that uses ParkMobile, but it was fairly empty when I went.
With unfortunately slim hours, they are open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. They have the option to order ahead or at the register, and you may dine on the patio, but there is no indoor seating.
My friend and I went for lunch on a Wednesday and were met with no line and got our food in under five minutes. We walked in under a sign with big red bubble lettering that read “Ciaccia,” with “fatta in casa” — Italian for homemade — arched above the 2024 opening year. We were greeted with a huge smile and the woman working the register was happy to explain everything on the menu to us.
All of the sandwiches on their menu are $12, which is slightly steep for how minimal the ingredient list is, but they were delicious nonetheless. The pizza is ordered by weight per kilogram and we were able to specify exactly how much we wanted before it was warmed up for us. We went outside to sit down and our food was brought out to us wrapped in brown paper with the Ciaccia logo printed on it.
I opened up my Bionda that was stuffed to the gills between two perfectly crunchy pieces of schiacciata — a thin Tuscan flatbread — with a generous dusting of flaky sea salt. The first bite transported me back to the cobblestone streets of Italy savoring the bite. The silky stracciatella di burrata cheese spilled around sharp arugula and tangy pepperoncini, followed by deliciously salty and rich prosciutto and creamy cipollini. The slight aftertaste of vinegar from the pepperoncini melted in the luscious burrata. The portions were close to perfection and everything in the sandwich felt so balanced. For the price, this sandwich is chock full of fresh and quality ingredients and well worth the price.
My friend ordered one of their vegetarian options, Le Fair, and we were equally impressed. The same bread held together stracciatella di burrata cheese that melted into fresh pesto and huge fresh tomatoes. The pesto had a lemony quality that I find most modern pesto recipes lack, but this one was slightly too oily for my taste. The bite was magical in its simplicity and let the excellent blend of balanced ingredients speak for themselves.
To share, we ordered the prosciutto pizza. The savory meat was under the cheese and the pizza was Roman-style, with essentially no crust — which is the best kind of pizza, argue with the wall if you disagree. The price per slice was extremely reasonable at $4.81 for a 0.155 kg piece big enough to share. We also both ordered a Galvanina Italian Soda — I got lemon and she got blood orange. They were like a new iteration of Pellegrino, but I would skip next time considering the $4 charge.
As an Italian food snob and recent returnee from a summer abroad, I went into Ciaccia with big shoes to fill and I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised . If you’ve been trying to find your new go-to lunch spot that can turn you into a sandwich snob, look no further. With incredible ingredients and authentic tastes, this charming spot is the perfect spot for a sunny day lunch.
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