A rather unappreciated and misunderstood (in my opinion) dish in the Italian cuisine is gnocchi – pronounced “nio-key” or “no-key” as the “g” is silent. It is a perfect combination of potato and pasta with whatever kind of sauce you like. This one was a duck ragu that was yummy, though I was helping M finish it as I devoured my own of saffron and sausage.
There are many hidden aspects of local culture here that are easy to miss as an expat. We discovered one of them last night – The Gnocchi Festival of Santa Maria di Monteleone d’Orvieto (La Sagra degli Gnocchi di Santa Maria di Monteleone di Orvieto) – one of many throughout the summer in the region. This one is explained below as a translated version of one site.
More amazing than the gnocchi and turnout even amongst locals was the dancing. We didn’t know until we were leaving that there was actually two live bands playing – the latter targeted more for the youth. The one we listened to, observed, joined in on was a kind of traditional genre that allowed for the dancing!
When I say dancing, I mean partner dance, line dance, and combinations of other more formalized dancing. It was incredible to see people know so many variations of dances and joining in! There wasn’t a shyness really, if they knew it and could move, they were on the dance floor. It was so great.
I’m now keen to learn some of the line dances and even get someone to take me on as a partner for the ones that look something similar to a Texas two-step.
It was a ton of fun and I’m looking forward to experiencing more of these cultural moments!
~T 🔥🐉♋️
