
Michelle and I feast with the locals
Our farm neighbors gather for banquet dinners of Umbrian rural cuisine, followed by ballroom dancing to a live orchestra. The very elderly to the very young animate the dance floor.
There is no better way to experience superb food and the Umbrian rural people than at Catecuccio. I’ll be there many a Saturday night as my farmwoman friend, Peppa, is thrilled if I take her out dancing.
The piece I wrote on a Saturday at Catecuccio one January might entice you to join us (as Michelle and Raquel did one night!):

Raniero teaches me new steps
Ballroom dancing has always been such an integral part of rural life that I finally decided that I had to take lessons, after years of stepping on the feet of my gentlemanly (so brave of them to ask me to dance!) neighbors at our rural gatherings and at the local sagra evenings.
Result: I have become an appassionata of ballroom dancing – but without a partner (husband Pino does not dance).
Fortunately, our widowed neighbor, Peppa, is another appassionata, so on many a Saturday night in the fall and winter, we twohead up to the ballroom/restaurant on Mt. Subasio (near Assisi) at Catecuccio where “the locals” gather to feast and dance.

Everyone dancing
The older people usually arrive about 9 pm, just for the dancing, as the orchestra warms up.
Entire families spend Saturday nights at Catecuccio. While the parents dance, the younger children play together – or dance, too. Pairs of little girls dance together, following their parents (or grandparents!) around the dance floor.
Grandparents and parents dance with the little ones, holding them by their hands and moving them to the music – or if younger, holding them in their arms.

Michelle with Sig. Ferroni (age 83!)
Last Saturday, the Umbrian Carnevele sweet, strufoli – dripping in honey – followed the pasta. “Strufoli” derives from the Lombard (Germanic) word meaning (roughly) “cotton ball”, which aptly describes their appearance. Their flavor? Similar to – but better than! – – a cake doughnut.
On Saturday, Peppa and I left soon after the strufoli… but we hear that Signor Ferroni (age 83 – and he never sits out a dance!) went on til 2:30 a.m
A couple times, I have taken friends to Catecuccio for a truly “inside” Italian experience.
Michelle and Raquel danced all evening – and Signor Ferroni cut quite the figure while dancing with each of them.

Raquel and Sig. Ferroni
The locals were kind and welcoming and eager to include us as dancing partners, which was great as that’s exactly why we were there.
The midnight pasta meal ensured the evening kicked on into the early hours – it was a truly unique ‘Italian’ experience, one that I will be forever grateful for.”
Raquel Ryan, Australia