Some eats around Umbria around Christmastime. I spent a few days in Perugia and then traveled around small towns in with local friends for some truffles and hillside cooking.
Lots of pannetone, espresso, coratella, and inexpensive truffles.
I didn’t take pics of most meals, but here are a couple:
Osteria A Priori (Perugia)
Tasting of wild boar, with umbrian flatbread (15 eur)
Apparently a historical conflict between the pope and Perugians led to a tax on salt, so Perugians baked bread without salt. In Umbria, pork is king.
Stringozzi al tartufo (16 eur)
I tried this classic local dish at almost every restaurant during my stay in Perugia, and this one was the best.
Tagliatelle al ragu bianco of chianina beef and peas (10 eur)
paper cones of fried little fishes from a food truck by a fire, some live jazz, and local amber wine
Agriturismo La Rippja (Spoleto)
It doesn’t look like much, but this casual farmstay restaurant up in the hills has some delicious, inexpensive food. Very much a locals only place. Barbecued goat chops were the highlight. I didn’t take many pics because my friends said it’s not really that kind of place and the food’s “ugly delicious,” but here’s a spoonfull of the the lamb coratella (innards stewed with herbs) that looked unappetizing but overdelivered.
*the name eludes me right now but it’ll come to me (somewhere in Assisi)
more Lamb Coratella
pasta al ragu (with pheasant?)
ravioli with artichoke cream
pigeone alla cacciatora (hunter-style squab)
carciofi
and a quick side trip to Rome to see some art at the Vatican
sciavatelli all’amatriciana at Osteria da Fortunata
gamberi rossi carpaccio at Due Ladroni
passionfruit and coconut gelato
