enoteca l’alchimista {montefalco}

We spend every August at our house in Umbria and – after about 20 years – our routine is pretty much the same. If you can call it a routine. We don’t do much at all. Walks in the morning, swimming in the afternoon, and lots of cooking and eating.

The one thing we almost never do is head out for lunch. It’s usually just too hot to think about getting in the car and then sitting down for a big meal. But this month, as I’ve mentioned, has been deliciously cool. And so last week we broke with tradition and headed out into deepest Umbria

Actually, we just drove over to Montefalco.

Umbria is scattered with picturesque villages, and Montefalco is one of the prettiest. A walled in town that is very well known these days for its location in the heart of Umbrian wine country. Most of the better known vineyards – Caprai, Antonelli, Bea – are all in this area.

I hadn’t been to Montefalco in a few years, and as we were walking up the main street I was surprised by how many new restaurants had opened. I guess wine tourism is the draw, but these places looked….mmm…touristy? They were all packed, but we continued up the steep street until we arrived at our destination: l’Alchimista.

L’Alchimista is located in what has got to be one of the prettiest piazzas in Umbria. Unfortunately I don’t have any photographs since it was set up for their summer music festival with a stage and bleachers.

We took a seat under the white umbrellas and realized we were starved (must have been that cool weather) and so ordered probably too much food.

Although the place is known for their extensive list of some of the best local wines, we stuck to the house red, an everyday Montefalco Rosso, which was excellent.

We started with a couple of appetizers which we split. Zucchini flowers came two ways: one was stuffed with fluffy ricotta and the other acted as a casing for a mini portion of zucchini parmigiana. As delicious as they were pretty.

Next up a mixed plate of cured meats and cheeses. The hand cut local prosciutto was stellar, as was the local boar and pork salami. Actually, everything on the plate was completely delicious, even the three crostini which I usually tend to skip. And the bread that came with it? All home made and delicious.

Since Emma was with us, we went heavy on the truffles for our main course. Emma is, and always has been, truffle obsessed. As a child all I had to do was drizzle a few drops of truffle oil (yes, I know it’s usually fake) on whatever it was I wanted her to eat, and she would gobble it up.

She couldn’t resist the Umbricelli al Tartufo , hand made pasta which was perfectly cooked and smothered with both a sauce of truffles as well as a heaping portion of freshly shaved ones on top. I had a daily special, which combined a slightly spicy tomato sauce with both crunchy breadcrumbs and copious amounts of truffles. I’m still thinking about it.

Domenico instead ordered exquisitely made tortellini stuffed with ricotta and tossed with slow roasted tomatoes and zucchini.

Even though we were stuffed, since Emma was leading the charge, so we couldn’t head home without ordering dessert. I think it’s physically impossible for her to leave a restaurant without doing so. A light as air tiramisu was her choice, and it was a good one. Made to order, it was not too sweet and delicate with just the right amount of coffee and mascarpone.

Afterwards took a walk through the town, heading off the main street through some of the incredibly narrow alley ways that lead to the walls of the town. Since it is on a slight hill the views out over the valley are pretty amazing. Especially on the weirdly crisp, cool and clear August day.

Enoteca L’Alchimista
Piazza del Commune 14
+39 0742 378558
There is also a large selection of local products for sale, as well as wine of course.