Where to eat in Assisi: strangozzi with truffle, torta al testo and Franciscan trattorias
Guide to the best restaurants in Assisi: strangozzi with black truffle, torta al testo, Umbrian porchetta and the trattorias in the lanes below the Basilica. Authentic Umbrian flavours.
Assisi: Umbrian cuisine between spirituality and earthly flavours
Assisi is known worldwide for Saint Francis and the Basilica, but this medieval town perched on Monte Subasio also guards a gastronomic tradition that deserves a pilgrimage of its own. Umbrian cooking is one of Italy's most honest: produce of the land transformed with peasant wisdom, black truffle perfuming every dish, extra-virgin olive oil that ranks among the peninsula's finest, spit-roast meats and legumes. In Assisi you eat with the same authenticity with which you pray.
The food neighbourhoods
The upper old town
The upper part of Assisi, between Piazza del Comune and the Rocca Maggiore, is where the city's gastronomic life concentrates. The medieval lanes host trattorias set in old cellars, with stone vaults and fireplaces where meat is grilled in winter. Here you will find both tourist venues and genuine Umbrian osterias.
Around the Basilica
The area below the Basilica of Saint Francis, along Via San Francesco and Via Frate Elia, has restaurants with valley views. Prices are slightly higher for the position, but some establishments maintain excellent cooking.
Santa Maria degli Angeli
The town at the foot of the hill, where the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli stands, offers less touristy trattorias patronised more by residents. Prices are lower and the cooking equally good. It is the right place for a hearty lunch without the panoramic-position surcharge.
Must-try dishes
Strangozzi with black truffle
Strangozzi (or stringozzi) are Umbria's pasta par excellence: square-cut handmade thick spaghetti, with a rough, porous texture that catches the sauce. The version with Norcia (or Spoleto) black truffle is the most representative dish: truffle is generously grated over pasta simply dressed with oil and garlic. A scent that fills the room.
Torta al testo
Torta al testo is traditional Umbrian bread, cooked on a cast-iron plate (the testo) over the fire. Similar to a piadina but thicker and more rustic, it is filled with prosciutto and stracchino, sausage and vegetables, or wild herbs. The specialised shops serve it freshly cooked and steaming.
Umbrian porchetta
Umbrian porchetta differs from the Roman version: the whole pig is seasoned with wild fennel, garlic, rosemary and pepper, then slow-cooked in a wood-fired oven. The rind is crispy, the interior soft and fragrant. It is bought by weight at norcinerie and eaten in a panino.
Wild pigeon and spit-roast meats
The Umbrian spit-roast tradition is ancient: colombaccio (wild pigeon), guinea fowl, rabbit and lamb are slow-cooked on a wood-fired spit. Colombaccio alla ghiotta, with a dense sauce of olives, capers and wine, is a dish found only in Umbria.
Castelluccio lentils
The tiny lentils from Castelluccio di Norcia, grown on the plateau above 1,400 metres, are Italy's most prized. They need no soaking, cook in twenty minutes and have a delicate flavour. Eaten as soup or as a side with sausages.
Umbrian sweets
The torcolo di San Costanzo, a ring cake with pine nuts, candied fruit and anise, and the rocciata, the Umbrian strudel with apples, walnuts and cocoa, are the traditional Assisi sweets.
Markets and food shops
The norcinerie on Via San Rufino and Via Portica sell Umbrian salumi (Norcia prosciutto IGP, capocollo, dried sausages), pecorino cheeses and truffles. The Saturday weekly market in Piazza Santa Chiara offers produce from the surrounding countryside. Local oil mills produce DOP Umbria oil that can be purchased directly.
Budget tips
- A filled torta al testo costs 4-6 euros and makes a complete meal
- Trattorias in Santa Maria degli Angeli serve lunches for 12-15 euros
- A plate of strangozzi with truffle costs 10-14 euros: it is Umbria's most accessible luxury
- Norcinerie sell porchetta panini for 4-5 euros
- Avoid restaurants on the main square (Piazza del Comune): prices are set for tourists
- House wine at the osterias is often a good Rosso di Montefalco at 3-4 euros a glass
- Oil mills open to the public offer free tastings of new oil in November
Where to stay and what to see
To complete your visit, also consult where to stay in Assisi for accommodation among convents, B&Bs in the centre and agriturismo farmhouses in the countryside, what to see in Assisi in 2 days for an itinerary through the Basilica, the Rocca and Franciscan trails, and how to get to Assisi for train, bus and parking information.
