Medieval meandering in Orvieto
Orvieto’s Duomo seen from an alleyway in its old town © Getty Images
Technically it’s in Umbria, but Orvieto sits just east of the border with Lazio, which puts it right at the nexus of Italy’s ancient-Etruscan history; it still has its famous Etruscan Fanum Voltumnae – a sacred sanctuary – to show for it. In medieval times it became a papal state, and Urban IV (1195-1264) commissioned its glorious Duomo (go early in the morning when the sunlight slants through its extraordinary alabaster windows to dapple the basalt and travertine columns). Orvieto’s streets are pretty, meandering, and, despite the city’s “Tucci was here” status, never thronged this time of year. Umbria is the land of maiolica, and Orvieto has its own distinctive pottery style (they take their rooster-shaped pitchers very seriously). Food is serious too: in winter it’s heaven, all about lentils and sausage, pheasant and wild boar, and truffles and chestnuts. Trattoria La Palomba brings all of that, plus trad interiors and elegant Sunday lunch. (For vegetarians, there’s the cheery, modern Vis à Vis.) You can drive from Rome in about two hours, or take an inter-city train from Termini Station and arrive in just over an hour, for €17.
