coccorone {montefalco – umbria}

Most of my Umbrian life happens in the summer. Very long, sun-filled days punctuated by lazy lunches under the pergola and dinners around the pizza oven. When we go out to dinner, we tend to stick close to home, visiting old favorites to avoid a long drive home in the dark. As for day trips? The heat usually dissuades us from even thinking about getting in the car to go somewhere.

But come fall I’m more than ready for a road trip.

Fall in Umbria is not  quite as colorful as the East Coast where I lived for many years. The ‘green heart of Italy’ is so green mostly due to a large number of oaks. While they do eventually change from dark green to a mottled yellowish brown, it’s not the magenta and orange technicolor show that I remember from Connecticut. Yet there are many other charms.

A couple of weeks ago my friends Jane , Scott and I headed to one of the most beautiful towns in Umbria, Montefalco. We decided on Montefalco mostly because we had spent the morning at a nearby winery (more to come on that later) . Also? None of us had seen the magnificent fresco cycle by Benozzo Gozzoli in the Church of San Francesco.

One of the things I love about this time in Umbria is the smell of wood fires. The minute the weather turns crisp everyone lights their fire places. Not only to keep things warm and to cook on, but also – as my neighbor Marisa says – to keep us company. The result is that when you walk into a small town like Montefalco at this time of year, one of the first things that hits you is the inviting smell of a wood burning fire.

As we wandered our way around the stone paved streets, making our way to the pristine Renaissance piazza, we not only followed the signs, but also our noses, to our destination: Coccorone.

While Umbrians are big meat eaters (mostly pork), the restaurant Coccorone is known for it’s grilled beef. Specifically their locally grown Chianina steaks that come from locally raised cattle. And sure enough, only a few steps from the front door, we were greeted not only by a case containing massive bistecche, but a roaring fire where a mouthwatering array of chops were already sizzling away.

Jane and I decided on filetto. Ordered rare, it came to the table perfectly cooked and was sliced in front of us. Since it’s that time of year, I couldn’t resist a topping of local truffles. The waiter arrived with a plate full of truffles and a little scale so that I could chose my own. Once he started finely slicing the aromatic tubers atop my plate it was hard to tell him to stop.

Scott instead ordered the roasted pigeon, which was crispy, well seasoned and much more meaty than any of us expected.

A cute little pan full of roasted locally grown potatoes, and some grilled artichokes were our side dishes.

After lunch we walked around the town a bit more, then ended our day under one of the most beautiful fresco cycles in Italy. A perfect fall day in Umbria. 

Coccorone
Largo Tempestivi 11
Montefalco
+39.0742.379.535

The frescos by Benozzo Gozzoli are located in the
Complesso Museale di San Francesco
Via Ringhiera Umbra 6
Montefalco
Open Daily, 10:30 -6pm.

For more information on dining in Umbria and Italy download my app, EAT ITALY. EAT ITALY is a free app, and contains guides to Venice, Milan, Rome, Florence and Umbria (and an ever expanding list of regions and cities) available as in-app purchases for both iPhone and iPad. And if you want to delve further in to Roman food, please buy my book, Eating Rome, available on Amazon or at through your local book store.