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UmbriaNorcia

View of Norcia surrounded by green hills

Guided Walking

From £599 - 7 nights

Guided Walking at Norcia

Holiday reference: NCLCL

Print accommodation information

Front door and quiet street outside the Hotel Grotta Azzura

Norcia

Hotel Grotta Azzurra, 3-star

The Hotel Grotta Azzurra was originally a granary, dating from the 16th century. You can still see the original vaulted roofs of the grain stores on the ground floor in the lounge and restaurant. The building has been a hotel since 1850 and is one of the four hotels in the town owned by the Bianconi family. Federico and his brother Vincenzo, his mother Anna and father Carlo all work very hard to keep their guests happy. The hotel sits in a narrow side-street, just 10 metres from Norcia’s central square. The ground floor is dominated by the ‘Granaro del Monte’ which is an extremely popular restaurant, both with visitors and locals, and has an excellent reputation.

Hotel Salicone is a partner hotel of the Grotta Azzurra, just a few minutes’ walk away and has more spacious bedrooms which can be booked, at a supplement.

bedrooms
facilities
food
evening

Hotel Grotta Azzurra has 46 comfortable bedrooms. As this is a historic building, the bedrooms are all unique and vary widely in their size and shape.

All bedrooms have:

en-suite bathroom with shower or bath
television
telephone
hair-dryer
air conditioning

Guests staying at the Hotel Grotta Azzurra can use the range of sports facilities available at the Hotel Salicone which is located less than 10 minutes’ walk away outside the town walls.

Our holidays at Hotel Grotta Azzurra are on a Half Board basis and include breakfast and evening meal.

Breakfast

Hotel Grotta Azzurra serves a simple buffet breakfast, as is very common in Italy:

cereals
juice
yoghurt
breads and home-made cake
salami
cheese
tea, coffee and chocolate

Evening meal

Dinner at Hotel Grotta Azzurra is served in the Granaro del Monte restaurant and is one of the highlights of this holiday. The restaurant with its vaulted stone ceilings, tapestries and open fires has a charming medieval ambience. The open fire in one of the dining rooms doubles as a barbecue and the chefs can be seen cooking many of the meat dishes here. It is a 4-course dinner and each evening features local speciality dishes. In particular Norcia is famous for its cured hams and salami, and these are often offered as starters. Vegetarians are well catered for and the restaurant staff are happy to help anyone with special dietary requirements.

Sample menu

Hors d’oeuvre de la maison

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Lentil soup with pasta

“Cannelloni” with fresh cheese and spinach

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Roasted rabbit with fennel

Sausage with cheese

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Vegetables in Season

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Home Made Cake or Cheese or Fruit in season

Drinks

Grotta Azzurra has a well-stocked bar serving beer, wine and spirits.

Lunches (payable locally)

Hotel Grotta Azzurra will provide picnic lunches which should be ordered the evening before. Ingredients for a picnic lunch can be bought in the nearby local shops or from the supermarket on the outskirts of town; your Leaders will advise you of the options.

In the Evenings

Each evening your walking leaders will tell you about the choice of walks for the next day and answer any questions you may have. During the evening you may like to join in an optional organised evening activity, such as a quiz or a visit to the local skittle alley.

The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly. There is normally a good mix of ages, of new clients and 'regulars' from Britain and overseas, and of couples, friends and people travelling alone.