la cruccola {acqualoreto – umbria}

I think there is an image that most people have when they plan a vacation to the Italian countryside. Whether they are staying at a rented villa, a b&b or a hotel, they hope to stumble across  a little restaurant, in a small village. As they order carafes of local wine, they’ll sit back and enjoy a plate of pasta, maybe some rustic main course like meatballs, while the locals gather in the square: nonni on the few benches, kids running wild  on bikes and kicking balls. And maybe the local cat will sidle up to your table, hoping for a scrap of prosciutto fat to fall his way.

I’m not sure if many places like this actually exist. But at least one does. In the small town of Acqualoreto.

There are lots of picture perfect little stone towns throughout Umbria. While many used to have small shops, restaurants, bars and even a post office or school,  today they usually have no commercial enterprise what-so-ever. People still live there, but go elsewhere to go shopping or mail a letter (hah! No one does that anymore) And the lack of some sort of central magnet means that often the town squares are empty at night.

All of which makes the village of Acqualoreto so special. For whatever reason it has a bar at one end of the small piazza and a restaurant at the other. And right in the middle? A large war monument with plenty of benches for just hanging out.

I have a lot of friends who head to the bar every Wednesday for an expat get together, but Domenico and I gravitate to the restaurant at the other end of the piazza, La Cruccola. Run by Neisa, and ex-school teacher, the place is simple, homey and delicious. More like eating in someone’s home, the menu doesn’t vary that much and offers little choice. Antipasto is a plate of local prosciutto and pecorino (and when I say local, I mean the fields down below the town). First course is usually a choice of pasta  with ragu, pomodoro or cacio e pepe. For a second course you can usually expect to find sausages one way or the other, and at least one kind of roast meat.

Domenico and I head there as often as possible. We usually skip the antipasto, but only because we know we can’t possibly make it through the hearty portions of pasta and meat if we didn’t. Last week Domenico started with cacio e pepe: made with local sharp pecorino and  roughly ground fragrant black pepper, it was as good, or better, than anything we get back in Rome. I instead went for the pasta al pomodoro: one of the most satisfying ways I know to enjoy end of summer tomatoes. Domenico had a massive portion of meatballs for his main course: big, fat and tender, gently spiced with a bit of nutmeg and bathed in a chunky tomato sauce. I ordered, as I usually tend to do, the roast beef. Cut paper thin, and cooked probably more well done than most people do, I love it. It’s light, and the meat excellent and covered in a pan sauce that is one of the best things ever.

Even though we didn’t order it, a couple of side dishes showed up as well. A small dish of chopped, raw wild greens,  dressed with a sharp vinaigrette. And a big bowl of simple boiled green beans made perfect by enough salt and olive oil.

After this feast we passed on the home made crostata and instead shared a bowl of grapes, nibbling away slowly to make the night last as we hung out in the piazza. Like everyone else on this end of summer evening.

Piazza Vittorio Veneto 8, Acqualoreto 05023
+39.0744.958397
You should definitely call ahead to reserve. The place is small, and if you are a big group, Neisa will have to know ahead of time.

For more information on dining in Umbria and Italy download my app, EAT ITALY. EAT ITALY is a free app, and contains guides to Milan, Rome, Florence , Venice , Umbria (and an ever expanding list of regions and cities) available as in-app purchases for both iPhone and iPad.