In Norcia, Eat Truffles and……. “Listen Up”

A stroke of buona fortuna to come across the Osteria Sienti’n Puo’ on a jaunt to Norcia last summer.
We’d parked outside one of wounded Norcia’s scaffolded medieval gates (due to earthquake damage Oct 30, 2016) and headed into town, seeking a bite to eat.

[lcaption]A “wounded” Norcia[/lcaption]

Not far from near the medieval gate, the warm earth colors and the cozy interior of a trattoria drew us in. It was late. We were hungry.

….and what a feast. For antipasto, Norcia truffles on bruschetta won over Pino and my summer vegetable medley was buonissimo.

[lcaption]Truffle bruschetta for Pino[/lcaption]

[lcaption]Summer vegetable medley for my antipasto[/lcaption]

[lcaption]Pino ready for that bruschetta goodness[/lcaption]

[lcaption]Young server, Marco, starts us off with tasty antipasti[/lcaption]

While we awaited our first courses, Pino and owner Stefania launched into animated conversation on Norcia’s restoration needs (her husband Rodolfo was in the kitchen cooking up the Norcia goodness):

[lcaption]Pino and Stefania engrossed in conversation on Norcia’s needed earthquake restoration[/lcaption]

[lcaption]Rodolfo pops out of the kitchen with his helper, Signora Amadea[/lcaption]

…..and then, those primi! For Pino, pasta cacio e pepe con tartufo, a pasta dish with grated black truffles, generous sprinkle of black pepper and pecorino (sheep’s milk cheese):

A generous grating of black truffles topped my pasta dish with zucchini blossoms:

Before leaving, we asked Rodolfo about the origin of the restaurant’s name, Osteria Sienti’n Puo’. Meaning “Listen up,” Rodolfo told us it refers to a norcino dialect expression used especially around mid-August when norcini (the pig butchers) were sought for preparing the pork product goodness (prosciutto, capocollo, lonzo, salsicce) to be sold at the Norcia food fair, August 16th. “Listen up” promised news on possible norcino work for the butchers.

Let me use that expression now: “Listen up”: don’t miss eating at Osteria Sienti’n Puo’ when you’re next in Norcia. And may Norcia resurrect – as the poster on the Osteria wall invokes: