Norcia sits in the wide plain beside Monti Sibillini in the province of Perugia. It is well known for hunting and has given its name to sausages and ham made from wild boar and pork. These products are known as “norcineria”.
St Benedict and his twin sister St Scolastica were born in Norcia in AD480. St Benedict founded the Benedictine monastic system. In the 8th century an oratory was built so pilgrims could pray at St Benedict’s birthplace. In the 10th the Monastery of St Benedict was built over the Roman ruins of the house of the twins.
In October 2016 an earthquake hit Norcia and caused major damage to many buildings, including the Basilica. I can remember seeing the images on the news at the time. The town is slowly rebuilding. Much of the town is still covered with scaffolding.
We parked at the top of the town and followed the old walls down to the entrance. Parts of the wall were damaged in the earthquake and repairs are still going on.
The entrance to the town is still under scaffolding.
The town is quite lively, despite the obvious damage and ongoing rebuilding. Lots of shops and restaurants were open and filling with visitors.
The Basilica is still undergoing repairs. This is what it used to look like.
This is it now.
The old fort managed to survive the earthquake.
St Benedict is still keeping eye on things.
The bell tower still stands.
We came upon some archers preparing for a competition later in the day.
We had lunch at a busy restaurant and had to have the local specialities, lentil soup and sausages. Both were delicious, don’t mess with a recipe that has been around for centuries.
We stopped at a few shops and gathered up some local products to take home. I might be eating lentils for a while.
The locals we spoke to were disappointed that the repairs are taking so long to complete. The town is fighting on and happy that people are continuing to support them. We enjoyed our visit and hope to see some improvement when we return .