Umbria · Perugia
Norcia
Birthplace of San Benedetto at 604 meters on a Sibillini plateau, leveled by the 2016 earthquake and rebuilt stone by stone.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Norcia is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia, Bandiera Arancione and Cittaslow.
The nearest town with a letter is Scheggino, No. 86, 23 km away.
Subscribe and you get Norcia's letter the day it comes out.
Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 44 min from Perugia
- Population
- 4,457
- J9°
- F12°
- M12°
- A15°
- M20°
- J25°
- J30°
- A29°
- S24°
- O20°
- N14°
- D10°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Norcia sits at 604 meters on a high plateau on the Umbrian side of the Monti Sibillini, ancient Nursia of the Sabines, fortified in the 3rd century BC by Rome. Saints Benedict and his twin sister Scholastica were born here in 480; the Benedictine Order and the Ora et Labora motto that shaped Western monasticism began on this piazza. The Basilica di San Benedetto rises on the traditional birthplace, built between 1290 and 1338 over a pre-existing crypt.
On 30 October 2016 a magnitude 6.5 earthquake destroyed the nave; only the façade was left standing. Reconstruction completed on 30 October 2025, nine years to the day, with the original stones and earthquake-resistant technology. The town gave its name to norcineria, the Italian word for quality pork delicatessen, after centuries of Norcia butchers specializing in wild boar and pork. Black truffle from the Valnerina, lentils from Castelluccio, and ricotta from the high pastures complete the table.
How to get there
From Ancona (AOI), about 2 h 17 min by car.
Rome Fiumicino (FCO) is about 2 h 49 min away.
By car from the center of Perugia 1 h 44 min, Pescara 2 h 10 min or Ancona 2 h 15 min.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Basilica di San Benedetto
Built 1290-1338 over the traditional birthplace of Saints Benedict and Scholastica, rebuilt with original stones after 2016, reopened 30 October 2025.
Castellina
Fortified papal stronghold designed by Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola in 1554, on Piazza San Benedetto, now the Museo Civico e Diocesano.
Piazza San Benedetto
Civic and religious heart of the centro storico, with the Palazzo Comunale, the basilica, the Castellina and the statue of Benedict at the center.
Concattedrale di Santa Maria Argentea
Sixteenth-century cathedral, severely damaged in 2016, set against the medieval city walls that still ring the centro storico.
Piana di Castelluccio
High plain at 1,452 meters in the Sibillini, frazione of Castelluccio, the lentil fields bloom red, yellow and blue from mid-June through mid-July.
From the guides
Where to eat and stay
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Granaro del MonteRistorante
Granaro del Monte holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand and a place on Italy's historic-locali register.
VespasiaRistorante
Vespasia holds one Michelin star and two Gambero Rosso forks (84/100).
Casale nel ParcoAgriturismo
Casale nel Parco carries a Gambero Rosso listing.
1 more place the guides name in Norcia
Albergo Palazzo SenecaHotel
Albergo Palazzo Seneca holds a place on Italy's historic-locali register and a place in the Michelin hotel guide.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Signature product
Prosciutto di Norcia IGP
Mountain ham cured at altitude in the Sibillini; Norcia is the namesake town and gave its name to the trade ('norcineria').
See the towns we cover in the zone of Prosciutto di Norcia IGP.
Living here
Could you live here?
Norcia is at the end of the road.
- A village of 4,457. The nearest town of 5,000 people, Spoleto, is 1 h 6 min away: past our 15-minute rule, which makes this the end of the road.
- Ascoli Piceno, a city of 45,277, is 1 h 9 min by car. Further than our 30 to 60 minutes, a long way for the hospital visit or the monthly shopping.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 4,457, down 9.5% since 2015
- Nearest city Ascoli Piceno, 1 h 9 min drive
- A national health service hospital in the comune · how healthcare works in Italy
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Remote
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 81% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 1, Italy's highest hazard
- Perugia airport (PEG), 1 h 30 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Perugia, 1 h 44 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
9% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from North Macedonia, Romania and the Philippines, against 9% across Italy. 23 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly the United States. There are 238 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 58% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Perugia province ranks 37th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
There is an emergency room in the comune. The nearest major one is in Terni, 43 km away. The nearest IB school is Viterbo International School, 91 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Assisi International School, 50 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.4% to your income tax. 7% pensioner tax: this town qualifies, for someone with a foreign pension who has lived abroad for five years: 7% on foreign income, for ten years.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Umbria spends about €2,310 a month, €550 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €677 a year for water, on the Umbria average. In Perugia, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.23, a meal in a pizzeria €12.04 and a man's haircut €20.47.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. Under 1% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods. 2% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
NORCINERIA
The Italian word for quality pork delicatessen comes from Norcia, after centuries of local butchers specializing in wild boar and pork curing.
SAN BENEDETTO
Born here in 480 with his twin sister Scholastica, founder of the Benedictine Order and the patron saint of Europe.
RECONSTRUCTION
Leveled by the 6.5 magnitude earthquake of 30 October 2016; the basilica reopened with original stones nine years to the day.
Common questions
- What is Norcia known for?
- Birthplace of San Benedetto at 604 meters on a Sibillini plateau, leveled by the 2016 earthquake and rebuilt stone by stone.
- Where is Norcia?
- Norcia is a comune in the province of Perugia, in Umbria.
- What is the nearest airport to Norcia?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Perugia (PEG), about 1 h 30 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Perugia to Norcia?
- About 1 h 44 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Norcia?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Norcia?
- Cingoli, Panicale and Amandola.
- How many people live in Norcia?
- 4,457 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Norcia a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Norcia is at the end of the road: the nearest town of 5,000 people, Spoleto, is 1 h 6 min away. The nearest city, Ascoli Piceno, is 1 h 9 min away by car. There is a national health service hospital in the comune. Full fibre reaches 81% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 604 m
- Population: 4,457
- Surface area: 275.58 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Norcia appears in
- The 6 best hidden truffle towns in the province of PerugiaPerugia provincetrufflehidden6 towns · smallest 334 residents
- The 6 best small towns that eat well in the province of PerugiaPerugia provinceeats wellsmall6 towns · smallest 686 residents
- The best towns worth staying overnight in the province of PerugiaPerugia provinceworth staying overnight6 towns · smallest 426 residents
- The best hidden towns with a serious restaurant in the province of PerugiaPerugia provinceserious restauranthidden7 towns · smallest 1,537 residents
- The best towns that live slowly in the province of PerugiaPerugia provinceslow living7 towns · smallest 686 residents
- The best hidden towns on a walking route in the province of PerugiaPerugia provinceon a walking routehidden8 towns · smallest 426 residents
Near here, with a letter
- Written about. No. 86.
Scheggino
Province: Perugia
Triangular castle village on the banks of the Nera at 280 meters, where the first commercial Italian truffle company was founded in 1852.
23 km away
- Written about. No. 77.
Campello sul Clitunno
Province: Perugia
Springs of the Clitunno and the Lombard Tempietto on the valley floor at 290 meters, the temple inscribed by UNESCO in 2011.
26 km away
- Written about. No. 90.
Trevi
Province: Perugia
A walled town at 412 meters above the Spoleto valley, ringed by 200,000 olive trees that make it the Umbrian capital of olive oil.
29 km away
Our guide
Our nearest guide, 82 km away
Umbria: the towns, when to go, how to get there
The Umbria guide came out of the letter. Letters from the towns we visit. Free.
Read the guide: Two banks, no sea. 21 towns, the drive and train times, the months, where to eat and sleep.
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.