Trattoria La Grotta In Cortona

11/08/2025: I discovered this restaurant for my bachelor party, guided in this discovery by my lifelong friends. The location is charming: a bit remote from the rest of the world, a bit mountain hut-like due to the use of wood in the furnishings, a bit mountain hut-like due to the sense of refreshment as soon as the dishes arrive. The dinner consisted of: - Appetizer: black crostini (Tuscan, not Umbrian) and crostini with dried tomatoes (with the addition of a fresh cheese), cured meats (prosciutto, salami, capocollo, lard, and dried sausage), and cheese, with fried gnocco as a side dish; - First courses: ricotta and spinach ravioli with fresh tomatoes and gnocchi with ragù antico (a white Chianina beef ragù); - Second courses: roast beef (excellently cooked, practically melted in the mouth), grilled sausage and lamb, and steak, with salad and fried zucchini flowers on the side. - Dessert: panna cotta with a fresh strawberry garnish. I could comment on every single dish; simply put, Franco, the owner, also owns a butcher shop and knows his stuff inside out. You won't necessarily always find the entire menu available, but you can discover "picturesque" taste paths if you let him guide you. My adventuresome friends, who were completely new to the place, explained to me how difficult it might be to find the same dish again, but how much more astonishing it is to sample, savor, and finally devour simple dishes prepared with quality ingredients. I will definitely return, perhaps outside of the "overly festive" atmosphere that accompanied my first visit to Ricordati di me. The restaurant's name, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly fitting.