July 2, 2010 (2 luglio)

Umbertide, Umbria (Italia)

Ciao a tutti,

There are so many things that I love here in Umbria that we don’t have in the Napa Valley where I live.  One of them is schiacciata con cipolla (also called pizza con cipolla—with onions).  In the States we would probably call it focaccia because it is more like flat bread with lots of olive oil.  At its best, the pizza is crisp on the bottom, not too thick, and seasoned with lots of olive oil and a bit of rosemary.  The thinly sliced onions should be sweet and salty but not overbearing.

If you come to Umbertide, the best place to buy pizza con cipolla is at Il Forno Bastianelli. Look for the sign, Il Forno (the oven), on the left side on the street below La Rocca (The Fort), just past the parking lot, heading to the hospital.  The address is Piazza Marconi, 4, Umbertide.  Phone:  075-941-1545.

There is a deep pink apartment building next door on the right.  If you don’t make it to Umbertide, ask for the pizza at bakeries around Umbria.  You can also find a recipe for it in my book.

Ciao, Suzanne