Does Narni Still Have a Proper Umbrian Trattoria? I Ghibellini Comes Very Close
I Ghibellini sits at Vicolo Belvedere 4, tucked into Narni’s medieval centre and close to the cathedral, with the Umbrian landscape opening beyond the old stone streets. This is a restaurant-pizzeria with a broad menu, but its personality is much clearer when it stays close to the territory: manfricoli, Valnerina black truffle, wild boar, Norcia sausage, lamb, rabbit and Ciliegiolo di Narni.
There is enough familiarity on the card to satisfy a mixed table, including pizza and carbonara, but the more interesting dishes speak directly to southern Umbria. The prices help too: most primi sit between €10 and €16, traditional secondi largely between €10 and €15, and pizza remains firmly in neighbourhood territory.
What remained with us after our 2026 meal was the complete lack of strain. We ate generously, with real pleasure, moving from pork-heavy bruschette to handmade-style pasta, truffle, rabbit and a glass of local red without ever feeling that the kitchen was dressing Umbria up for visitors. Narni has plenty of pretty places to eat; I Ghibellini is more convincing because the food tastes as though it belongs here.
Bruschette “Col Porco” Start with the Right Kind of Excess
The Bruschette “Col Porco” cost €10, topped with liver pâté, guanciale, ciauscolo and lardo.
The name is not subtle and neither is the plate.
Each topping brings a different form of pork richness: guanciale is salty and fatty, ciauscolo softer and almost spreadable, lardo sweet and melting, while liver adds a darker savoury note.
This is exactly the sort of antipasto that makes sense in Umbria, where cured meat is not garnish but part of the culinary language.
Potato, Porcini and Valnerina Truffle Go Straight to the Territory
The potato and porcini tortino costs €14, with Grana fondue and black truffle from Valnerina.
This is richer, more autumnal and much more aromatic.
Potato gives softness, porcini add woodland depth and the truffle should sit above both rather than overwhelm them. Grana fondue makes the plate more indulgent, but the mushrooms keep it grounded.
If the bruschette are rustic Umbrian appetite, this is the kitchen’s more composed side.
Coratella Is the Starter for Anyone Who Wants the Real Thing
The lamb coratella costs €10.
There is no cosmetic version of this dish.
Coratella means offal — typically heart, liver and lungs — cooked for flavour rather than appearance. The result is mineral, savoury and unmistakably tied to central Italian cooking.
It will never be the universal crowd-pleaser.
That is part of the reason it deserves to stay on the menu.
Manfricoli alla Narnia Are the Pasta to Understand First
The Manfricoli alla Narnia cost €10, dressed with Datterini tomatoes, fresh garlic, parsley and chilli.
This is the dish we would order before anything involving cream or truffle.
Manfricoli are thick, rustic strands of local pasta that need a sauce with enough personality to cling to them. Tomato provides acidity, garlic the backbone and chilli just enough heat to keep the plate moving.
At €10, there is very little to argue with.
More importantly, the dish has a specific sense of place that many more expensive pastas lack.
Rancetto Adds Guanciale and Marjoram
The traditional manfricoli al rancetto cost €12, with cherry tomato, guanciale, onion and marjoram.
Rancetto is one of those central Italian sauces that deserves more attention outside the region.
Guanciale gives fat and salt, onion sweetness, tomato acidity, while marjoram provides the aromatic signature that prevents the whole thing from tasting like another variation on amatriciana.
This is heavier than the Narnia version but also more layered.
Between the two, the Rancetto is the one we would return for.
Carbonara with Truffle Is Deliberately Rich
The manfricoli alla carbonara with truffle cost €16.
This is the maximalist pasta of the menu: egg, Pecorino-style richness, guanciale and truffle wrapped around a substantial local pasta shape.
It is easy for dishes like this to become monotonous, because every ingredient pushes towards richness. The manfricoli help by keeping a firm, rustic bite.
Still, this is not the pasta to order after the truffle tortino.
One full dose of truffle per meal is usually enough.
Wild-Boar Pappardelle Are the Stronger Autumn Order
The hand-rolled ancient-grain pappardelle with white wild-boar ragù cost €13.
This is a much more interesting plate.
Wild boar brings darker, leaner flavour than standard beef ragù, while a white preparation avoids burying the meat under tomato. The wide pappardelle catch the sauce naturally, and the ancient-grain pasta adds a slightly more rustic texture.
For anyone coming to Narni wanting Umbrian countryside on a plate, this is one of the clearest choices.
Cappelli del Prete with Chianina and Porcini Push Further North
The Cappelli del Prete cost €14, filled with white Chianina ragù and served with porcini mushrooms.
The shape already makes the dish more substantial than a simple pasta course.
Chianina brings sweet beef flavour, porcini amplify the savoury side and the filled pasta makes every bite denser. It is a richer and more polished alternative to the wild-boar pappardelle.
If the latter feel rural, these feel closer to Sunday lunch.
Lamb Scottadito Needs Nothing Complicated
The grilled lamb chops cost €15, served with grilled vegetables.
This is one of the menu’s most convincing second courses precisely because very little is happening.
Scottadito should arrive hot, charred outside and still juicy within. Lamb fat brings enough flavour on its own, while grilled vegetables keep the plate from becoming unnecessarily heavy.
No elaborate sauce is required.
Good heat and good timing are enough.
Norcia Sausage and Lentils Are Pure Central Italy
The lentils with Norcia sausage cost €10.
Few dishes explain Umbrian comfort food more efficiently.
Lentils provide earthiness and softness; sausage supplies pork fat, fennel and seasoning. The combination is rustic, filling and built for cooler weather.
At €10, it is also one of the most compelling value dishes on the entire menu.
Rabbit in Porchetta Is the Dish We Would Order Again
The rabbit stuffed in porchetta with potatoes costs €15.
This is more distinctive than the tagliata and more interesting than another grilled steak.
Cooking rabbit “in porchetta” borrows the aromatic vocabulary of central Italian roast pork: herbs, seasoning and enough fat to protect a naturally lean meat. The result should stay juicy, with a strong herbal perfume and crisp exterior where possible.
It feels unmistakably Umbrian without becoming heavy-handed.
For us, this is one of the best reasons to move beyond pasta.
The Tagliata Becomes More Local with Truffle
The standard scottona tagliata with rocket and cherry tomatoes costs €22, while the truffle version costs €26.
Both are straightforward, but the truffle version fits the local context better.
Beef gives the truffle enough savoury depth to work with, while keeping the preparation simple allows aroma rather than sauce to dominate.
Still, if you have already eaten truffle in the antipasto or pasta, the plain tagliata makes more sense.
Pizza Is for Dinner — and Prices Stay Refreshingly Grounded
Pizza is served only in the evening, with the Margherita at €6.50 and most of the menu between €7.50 and €10.
The Cortigiana costs €9.50, combining courgette flowers, guanciale and burrata. It is rich but coherent: floral sweetness from the courgette, salt from the pork and fresh dairy softness from the burrata.
The Mezule costs €11, with mozzarella, potatoes, guanciale and truffle. That is the pizza for anyone who wants the full Umbrian comfort-food experience in a single round of dough.
For us, the Cortigiana has better balance.
Dama Is the More Playful White Pizza
The Dama costs €8.50, topped with mortadella, burrata, pistachio and balsamic vinegar.
This combination is now familiar across Italy, but it works because each element has a defined role: mortadella brings fat and spice, burrata softness, pistachio texture and balsamic acidity.
It is less local than guanciale and truffle, but difficult not to enjoy.
At €8.50, it also remains remarkably accessible.
Wine Pairings
Manfricoli al Rancetto: Leonardo Bussoletti 05035 Ciliegiolo di Narni — fresh red fruit and modest tannin fit guanciale, tomato and marjoram naturally.
Wild-boar pappardelle: Leonardo Bussoletti Brecciaro Ciliegiolo di Narni — deeper fruit and greater structure suit the darker flavour of cinghiale.
Rabbit in porchetta: Leonardo Bussoletti Ràmici Ciliegiolo di Narni — savoury spice and freshness are a strong match for herbs and roast rabbit.
The restaurant also pours Ciliegiolo and Grechetto by the glass at €5, keeping the local route easy even without committing to a bottle.
Local Beer Is a Nice Detail
The beer list includes Narnia by Leonardo Bussoletti at €5.50, alongside beers from Spilaceto Varazzi.
That may seem secondary in a restaurant built around Umbrian food, but it gives pizza drinkers a genuinely local alternative to the standard industrial lager.
The draught list remains simple, with pale and red beers at €3 for 25 cl and €5.50 for 40 cl.
Dessert Should End with Vin Santo
The tozzetti and wine biscuits with Vin Santo cost €6.
That is the natural finish after rabbit, wild boar or sausage.
The alternative desserts — tiramisù, cheesecake, mascarpone cream and warm chocolate cake — all cost €5, but the biscuits preserve the regional rhythm of the meal better.
Dip, drink, finish slowly.
Nothing more is required.
The View Is Part of the Pleasure, but Not the Whole Argument
I Ghibellini sits on the edge of Narni’s historic centre with a panoramic outlook beyond the medieval fabric of the town.
That setting is particularly effective at lunch, when the surrounding Umbrian landscape becomes part of the meal rather than a backdrop glimpsed through darkness.
But the view is not doing all the work.
A restaurant in a medieval hill town can easily survive on location alone. Here, manfricoli, Valnerina truffle, Norcia sausage and local Ciliegiolo give the table enough identity of its own.
Service, Atmosphere and Value
The restaurant serves lunch from 12:00 to 15:00 and dinner from 19:00 to 23:00, closing on Wednesday. The official menu lists a €2.50 cover charge.
Prices are one of the most attractive parts of the proposition. Bruschette “Col Porco” (€10), Manfricoli al Rancetto (€12) and rabbit in porchetta (€15) make a very substantial three-course savoury meal for €37 before drinks and cover. Even adding a €5 glass of local wine keeps the bill unusually sensible for a historic Umbrian town.
Our 2026 meal felt exactly right for Narni: relaxed rather than polished, deeply satisfying without being expensive, and much more rooted in local cooking than a generic tourist-centre restaurant. There are more ambitious dining rooms in Umbria, but ambition is not what makes I Ghibellini worth remembering.
Useful Information
- Address: Vicolo Belvedere 4, 05035 Narni, Terni
- Cuisine: Umbrian, central Italian and pizza
- Signature dishes: Manfricoli alla Narnia, Rancetto, wild-boar pappardelle, rabbit in porchetta and Valnerina truffle dishes
- Bruschette “Col Porco”: €10
- Potato, porcini and truffle tortino: €14
- Coratella: €10
- Manfricoli alla Narnia: €10
- Manfricoli al Rancetto: €12
- Carbonara with truffle: €16
- Wild-boar pappardelle: €13
- Rabbit in porchetta: €15
- Norcia sausage and lentils: €10
- Tagliata with truffle: €26
- Margherita: €6.50
- Cortigiana pizza: €9.50
- Mezule pizza: €11
- Pizza service: Dinner only
- Local wine by the glass: Ciliegiolo and Grechetto, €5
- Local craft beer: Available
- Cover charge: €2.50
- Hours: 12:00–15:00 / 19:00–23:00
- Closed: Wednesday
- Telephone: +39 351 334 2886
- Best for: Umbrian pasta, truffle, rabbit, pizza and a relaxed meal in medieval Narni
Our Rating of I Ghibellini Narni
Food: 9/10
The strongest dishes are rooted firmly enough in Umbria to give the broad menu a clear identity.
Starters: 9/10
Coratella, pork bruschette and Valnerina truffle make the opening section particularly strong.
Pasta: 9.3/10
Manfricoli and wild-boar pappardelle are the real reason to sit down.
Traditional Umbrian Cooking: 9.2/10
Rabbit, lamb, Norcia sausage and local truffle give the menu genuine regional depth.
Pizza: 8.9/10
Straightforward pricing and several well-judged white pizzas make dinner especially appealing.
Wine and Beer: 9/10
Local Ciliegiolo, Grechetto and Narni beer keep the drinks side close to the territory.
Service: 8.8/10
Relaxed and direct, which suits the restaurant better than formal polish would.
Atmosphere: 9.2/10
Medieval Narni and the panoramic position give the meal a strong sense of place.
Value for Money: 9.5/10
€10–€16 primi and €10–€15 traditional secondi are exceptionally persuasive.
Overall Rating: 9.1/10
