Small and stolid, the very pleasant mountain retreat of NORCIA is the only place of any size or substance in the Valnerina. Noted on the one hand as the birthplace of St Benedict - founder of Western monasticism - and on the other as the producer of Italy's top salami , it has an air of charming dereliction, and its low, sturdy houses (built to be earthquake-resistant) are a world away from the pastoral, fairy-tale cities to the west. It's friendly and appealing, though, and if transport allows, it can be the base for some good trips into neighbouring territory, particularly the famed Piano Grande . A big new road over the mountains into Marche looks set to open up the area - good news for local employment, which is scarce, but a possible challenge to the environment. Hang-gliders and winter sports enthusiasts are pouring in, another mixed blessing.

Taking in the town itself won't detain you long, but you may want to stay anyway, for the wonderful air and atmosphere. Most of the action is in the central Piazza San Benedetto , site of the Roman forum and presided over by a statue of Benedict. Apart from its facade, you can largely forget about the Duomo - destroyed by several earthquakes (the last big one was in 1979), and patched up to look like nothing on earth. The Castellina is more captivating: a papal fortress full of gaunt medieval echoes, it contains a fine little museum with fascinating old wooden sculptures and several surprisingly accomplished paintings. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be enough money around to keep it open on a regular basis; if you're lucky enough to find it open, be sure to pop in. The fortress makes a strange bedfellow for the labyrinthine church of San Benedetto , which supposedly was built over the saint's birthplace but more likely was raised from the ruins of an earlier Roman temple. Inside there are a few paltry frescoes, nothing more, though the crypt contains the remains of a Roman-era house.

Meat-eaters would be daft not to try the deservedly famous local pork products . Anything that can be done to a pig, the Norcians apparently do - and supposedly better than anyone else. Even today, you still see butchers in other parts of Italy called un nurcino , after the town. If finances stretch, you could also indulge in the area's prized black truffle . The season runs from January to April (though you may come across the lesser prized summer truffles too), and several thousand lire will buy a light dusting over your tagliatelle. Plenty of shops, an attraction in themselves, are on hand to sell you all manner of local specialities, not just truffles, but also hams, the famed lentils of Castelluccio and lots of rare mountain cheeses.

Moderate hotels are the central eight-roomed Da Benito , Via Marconi 4 (tel 0743.816.670; L60,000-90,000/?30.99-46.48), and the bigger Monastero S. Antonio , Via dei Vergini 13 (tel 0743.828.208; L60,000-90,000/?30.99-46.48), located at the far northwest corner of the upper town, open to all even though it's still a working convent. For a very comfortable modern option, try the Salicone , Via Montedoro (tel 0743.828.076; L200,000-250,000/?103.29-129.11) just outside the walls. Under the same management is the Grotta Azzurra , a comfortable three-star on Via Alfieri 12 (tel 0743.816.513; L90,000-120,000/?46.48-61.98) that is a fine and often lively hotel whose restaurant - the Granaro del Monte - is the best place to eat in Norcia, It's relatively inexpensive and set in huge medieval banqueting halls complete with suits of armour and huge, roaring fires. A more economical place to eat , but still central and excellent is the Taverna de' Massari (Via Roma 13; tel 0743.816.218; summer daily, winter closed Tues), located to the northeast of the central piazza, just behind the Basilica of San Benedetto.