Day 8

National Park Day

This morning we walked our suitcases down the steep, narrow, cobblestone street to our car anc managed to find our way out of Perugia. Our plans originally were to use Perugia as a base for a day trip to Assisi, headquarters of the Franciscan monks and their ancient monastery.  However, as we mentioned yesterday, Perugia was a bit too confusing for driving, so the day trip was canceled.

Therefore we decided to make a quick stop in Assisi on our way to our next destination. This short visit just wet our appetite to go back again on a future trip when we can spend more time.  St. Francis, for whom the monastery is named, devoted himself to helping the poor and nature.  Assisi is very grand in terms of the size of the buildings. It is very beautiful, clean, and doesn’t suggest poverty. Following is a picture of Assisi.

We stayed less than an hour in Assisi since we planned to meet Paola, our Italian cooking school owner, in the beautiful mountain town of Norcia, our next destination. It is now  one of the towns they have on their interesting schedule of places to learn to cook and enjoy Italian life.  We were in one of their 2010 cooking schools in Soriano, Paola’s home village, and loved it. It turns out that this is one of their cooking weeks in Norcia.  Besides seeing Paola, we also got to meet up with Spartico, our 2010 guide, who is also leading this Norcia tour.  We also got to meet the current participants and had dinner with them this evening.

What you see above looks like a meteor or big lump of coal.  It, and the similar looking objects in the basket, are truffles, a very unique fungi prized for it’s unique flavor.  We are used to sampling the truffle in truffle oil which is far more affordable.  It’s hard to imagine the value of a black truffle this size.  We did notice signs along the nearby highways warning against fungi hunting in this region without a permit.

The area is also noted for the hams produced from a type of Italian pig and also meats made from wild boar.  

There must have been at least two dozen deli-stores in this tiny town, all selling cured hams, salamis, and cheese and most of them wanting you to sample their meats and cheeses.  There are even some cheeses with small bits of truffle in them.  Wild boar is regularly hunted here, and their heads adorn most of the shops.  IF you double click on the picture, you will see the hams and salamis in the display windows.

Since Norcia is in the mountains, it was an adventure getting here. The two-lane road was very curvy with many tunnels. Of course, the Italians pass when we think there just isn’t enough time.

We are staying in Norcia at Palazzo Seneca, a small palace.  We were given a pleasant surprise in that we are in a suite that has 2.5 bathrooms, a living room, and a very spacious bedroom.  It added to our La Dolce Vita!