St. Benedict's mountain town — Umbria's truffle and lentil capital, rebuilding after an earthquake that revealed Roman ruins beneath
Norcia is a small walled town in the Valnerina valley of Umbria, birthplace of St. Benedict of Nursia (480 CE), founder of Western monasticism. It is Italy's pre-eminent producer of black truffles (tartufo nero di Norcia) and the cured pork products that gave 'norcineria' (pork butcher's shop) to the Italian language. The 2016 earthquake severely damaged the town including the Basilica di San Benedetto, whose restoration has revealed Roman remains beneath the medieval church.
Benedict of Nursia was born in Norcia around 480 CE; his twin sister Scholastica founded a parallel women's religious order. Benedict's Rule, written at Monte Cassino around 530 CE, became the foundational document of Western monasticism. The Basilica di San Benedetto was built on the family home site. The 30 October 2016 earthquake (magnitude 6.6) collapsed the basilica façade and exposed first-century Roman walls and floor mosaics during reconstruction. Norcia's Benedictine monks now brew Birra Nursia in the rebuilt monastery.