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1
Put 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and the chopped bacon in the big skillet and set over medium-high heat.
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2
Stir and cook for 3 or 4 minutes, to render bacon fat.
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3
Stir in the chopped onion, and cook until it is sizzling and wilting, about 3 minutes.
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4
Spill in the cubed potatoes, toss well in the fat, then spread them in the pan.
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5
Season with the salt, and cook, tossing and turning the potatoes frequently, for another 3 or 4 minutes, until the cubes are lightly crisped all over.
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6
Pour in 4 cups water, stir everything around, and scrape up any crust on the skillet bottom.
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7
Bring the water to a gently bubbling boil and cook, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked.
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8
The soup (or sauce, depending on your point of view) should reduce so it barely covers the potato cubes.
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9
Meanwhile, bring 6 quarts of salted water to the boil in a pasta pot.
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10
After the potatoes have cooked for about 10 minutes, drop the ditalini into the pot and cook al dente.
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11
Drain the ditalini, and stir into the thickened potato soup/sauce.
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12
Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and simmer the pasta e patate together for another 3 minutes or so, to an even denser consistency.
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13
Stir in the diced tomatoes, cook for a minute, and adjust salt to taste.
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14
Turn off the heat, scatter the cubed provola all over, and stir into the pasta e patate continuously as it melts into threads.
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15
Finally, stir in the grated cheese.
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16
Serve immediately, in warm bowls.
