"Dishes delight 1 – Il Cantico (Umbria)" Top 5 Page for this destination Italy Restaurant Tip by Trekki

Il Cantico was the only option to eat during my stay at Abbazia San Pietro in Valle. Yes, of course, I could have gone to Ferentillo to look for other options – but then again why should I? The restaurant had a good reputation in my books and I was delighted to find it also mentioned in my “Gebrauchsanweisung Umbria” (a book written by British Patricia Clough and published by Piper Publisher, something like “manual for Umbria” – see general section). So I took a shower and dressed up (I didn’t even dare to enter the restaurant in my usual boggy clothes, haha).
When I entered through the door, I was also delighted to hear Brazilian music and the waitress (wife of the chef) was from Brazil, as it turned out later. Which was good, at least I could properly communicate with her (my Italian isn’t good but Spanish worked fine). Already outside when I looked at the menu, I decided that I will indulge in finest Umbrian dishes, not at all look at the prices or at the amount of dishes.
Il Cantico had several different choices: fish menu, “earth” menu (meat), vegetarian, and “taste of the barn” (with local farm products), in addition to a menu for couples and for groups and of course the a la carte one. Each menu had antipasti, primi, secondi and dolci, and for each of the courses “only” 5 options. But this means that all is definitely freshly made!!

Favorite Dish: The waitress realised that I had problems to choose and offered me to select whatever I want from the menus, so that I wouldn’t have to stick to only one. Good!!
As antipasto I choose the aromatic herb pie with pecorino sauce (photo 1), which was a delight! Soft and melting on the tongue. I even could identify each of the herbs by the taste. My primo was Tortiglioni with wild asparagus and mushrooms (photo 2) and my secondo “little bag of porcini mushrooms an Umbria cheese” (photo 3), which was similar like a spring roll, but galaxies away from these in terms of taste. Each dish was a piece of art, decorated with a tip of rosemary branch, the tiny violet blossoms included. And as if all my choices would not have been enough, in between the dishes we go some little this and that’s to shorten our waiting time for the next part. One was a lime sorbet, very much chilling and fresh (but only after I ate it I realised that I missed to take a photo) and the other one was a kind of desert – pannacotta and on top an espresso “gel” (photo 4). Oh, as desert I had lime and pistachio mousse (photo 5). As I didn’t need to drive anymore that evening I decided to try one of the famous Montefalco wines - oh well, as if never ever before wine had met my sensors : -)
All in all my bill was 59 € (10 € each of the starters and desert and 15 € the main dish), which, given the delicious dishes, I consider very much appropriate.

Il Cantico is closed on Mondays.

Address: Via Case Sparse N. 4, Ferentillo, TR (Terni), 0503
Comparison: more expensive than average
Directions: Valnerina, SS209. This is the street parallel to the highway from Assisi to Terni (exit Spoleto). It's 3 km north of Ferentillo. Be careful, the sign leading uphill is small.
Coordinates on GoogleEarth:
42°38’44,00’’N; 12°48’43,50’’E
Phone: 0744 - 780005
Price: US$31-40
Rating: 5
Theme: Local
Website: http://www.info-service.it/ilcantico/