An entry in the TFS Travel Journal
The incessant chiming of the church bells didn’t really wake us up, but . . .
Had another fruit medley with an incomparable view from our private garden high above the Umbrian countryside. Finally got to shower in a stall larger than a phone booth, then set off for Norcia, the gastronomic capital of this region of Italy. On our walk down to the car, through this tiny, hilltop stone town, we passed two stocky old Italian women, each of whom tried talking to us, and kept talking even though we made it clear we were sorry, but we couldn’t understand them.
We also passed some lovely pomegranite and persimmon trees, both bursting with fruit. Wendy did an exemplary job of driving along the curvy mountain roads. The trip took about 90 minutes and was quite scenic, as we drove up and down through forests and small towns, with views which impelled us to make frequent stops and hop out with the camera. We stopped briefly for Wendy to mail some important cards in the post office of the “town” of Borgo Ceretto (I’d be surprised if the population was in double figures) while the postal clerk moved with the efficiency (and technology) of the Pony Express while blowing his cigarette smoke at her the whole time.
Norcia, Italy was delightful — small, with a central piazza and a little duomo, and set in a valley of 8,000-foot mountains. We coincedently had parked right behind the restaurant Fred had adulated, and we settled in at a nice outside table. We had a great waiter who made some delicious suggestions, including one for a bottle of Lungarotti Chardonay (Umbrian) which was perfetto and was about $9! Began with the usual antipasto misto, which was good, and a tartufo (truffle, Norcia being the truffle capital of Italy) bruschetta which caused our conversation to cease as it made love to our tastebuds. . .Pastas were a taglianini (thin noodle) with truffle sauce (the sauce was great; better than the pasta!) and a best-Wendy’s-ever-had canneloni with spinach and cheese. Entrees were a grilled trout with rosemary (simple, but nice) and the house specialty of truffle-marinated steak which practically melted in our mouths. Dessert was a pudding with pastry and some fresh berries. We were then presented with a nice painted ceramic plate, which is given to all tourists or anyone who spends over a certain amount there, we’re not sure.
We took a quick look around town, which was, of course, mostly closed until 4:00 or so, so we headed up toward Castellucio and a recommended hike. We followed the quite-unclear signs, which took us right up the aforementioned large mountains. We arrived at the top and were afforded a view of a very large, barren valley down one side, and when we turned the other way, a deep, long valley with multi-colored farm lands and several little towns blanketing its broad floor. We couldn’t, however, find the town, and given the late hour (and the fact that our gas tank was now surprisingly low after chugging up the mountain with this junky 4-cylinder) we went back toward Norcia to do our marketing.
We made it to the Esso station, then went immediately to the factory-outlet chocolate shop down the street. Hard to not go too wild there, but we did pick up some really rich pistacio biscotti, a few chocolate creations (including one containing puffed rice in squares the size of a large ice-cube tray. Went back to Norcia and perused every shop, especially the myriad meat/cheese shops the town is famous for. One in particular had such a pungent, pleasing aroma that it was satisfying (and probably filling) just to breath in there! It was tended by a jolly, welcoming older gentleman from whom we just had to buy something, so we chose a hunk of a piquant aged cheese, some wild boar salami with truffles, and an herb-infused olive oil. After the bakery, fruit shop, another cheese store, and a grocery, we were finally finished and headed back home.
The drive back was lovely in the twilight, with a hint of the colors changing in several trees and the ochre dirt of the mountainsides taking on a warm glow. We parked at the gate, and lugged our many bags up the cobblestones.