Fontanella da Ginetto

On Via del Sole, nearly the highest point in Perugia.
I used to walk along this street often, frequently passing by a beautifully situated trattoria that always caught my eye. Last Tuesday, my friends from ViniVentisei came to visit, and they took me there for lunch. Inside, it was warm and a bit stuffy, so we chose to sit on the lovely outdoor terrace.

Our dishes:

• Veal carpaccio
• Pasta with fava beans and guanciale
• Coda alla vaccinara
• Coratella
• Sautéed broccoli (broccolo ripassato)

The first pleasant surprise: excellent, very fresh bread.
As for the house white wine—unsurprisingly, it was undrinkable. We quickly ordered a bottle of Scacciadiavoli Montefalco Rosso, which saved the lunch.

Now, about my carpaccio: the main issue was the aging—or lack thereof. The meat was not aged properly, making it quite tough and chewy. That said, it was indeed raw veal, not cured meat or bresaola, which is often passed off as “carpaccio” these days. It came topped with Parmesan and arugula and was heavily seasoned. Personally, I prefer less seasoning and better-aged meat. My rating: 3/5.

We initially ordered coda alla vaccinara, but the waitress informed us they had run out. So, we opted for pasta with fava beans and guanciale, followed by coratella.

Then, after a while, Gino—the host and chef—appeared with a small plate of coda. “Greetings from the kitchen,” he said. It was the last portion. The texture was spot on, at that point of slow simmering where the meat just begins to fall apart. However, it was far too salty.

Gino also brought us another surprise from the kitchen—deep-fried tramezzini—and took great care of Nem, my friends’ dog. The place has good vibes.

As for the pasta and coratella, they were perfectly fine, but didn’t spark any excitement (I only had a bite of each). The vegetables were flawlessly sautéed, ripassati in padella, the way only Italians can. Rating: 5/5.

Would I return?
Most likely not—it doesn’t stand out enough from the average.

t