FOOD
Although perched in a solitary fashion on the top of the cliff and separated from the valley below and the surrounding area, the city still boasts a rich Umbrian cuisine, with all its typical qualities and characteristics. Combined in a simple way, natural wholesome ingredients make Orvieto’s cuisine delicious and flavoursome. Healthy, genuine products from fertile, unspoilt land will ensure your meals are satisfying and memorable.
Given the lush vegetation that surrounds the city, game is predominant in local cuisine: quails, turtle doves, wood pigeons and ring doves are prepared in different ways, and there are numerous variations of the same recipe, so you’ll always find a new dish to satisfy your taste buds. Local produce is artfully transformed by the skill of local cooks, and while the names are bizarre and misleading, don’t let that put you off: taste the umbricelli (fresh handmade pasta), the lumachelle (pastries made with water, flour and cheese), the cicadas (fritters made with pumpkin flowers) and of course do not forget the typical ciambelloni all’anice and the frittelle di San Giuseppe (which you can find only on the Saint’s day, 19th March). Another typical dish, which certainly won’t disappoint the most demanding of palates, is the ‘gallina ubriaca’ (literally ‘drunken hen), a tasty chicken dish cooked in Orvieto’s unmistakeable wine, and don’t forget to seek out the very special Pera di Monteleone d’Orvieto, with its firm consistency and excellent nutritional properties. A unique dish that you won’t find anywhere else!
OIL AND WINE
Due to its charmed location and the fertility of the surrounding area, Orvieto boasts local products that are outstanding not only regionally, but also nationally. The region has been known for the quality of its wine since Etruscan times and the tradition has been preserved and modernised, earning DOC recognition. Variants available include Orvieto Classico, Classico Superiore and Rosso Orvietano. Although most production is of white wine, there are also various red and rosé wines. Some local wineries offer guided tours of the vineyards and wine tastings during most of the year.
Since 1997, with the establishment of DOP certification (Denominazione di Origine Protetta – Protected Designation of Origin) for extra virgin olive oil, Orvieto’s premium production has been included among the five sub-areas that differ in terms of soil, climate and agronomic practices: Colli di Assisi-Spoleto, Colli Martani, Colli Amerini, Colli del Trasimeno and Colli Orvietani. All the olive oils produced and recognised in the sub-denominations, are blends of different varieties of olives that confer unique or particular aromas and flavours to the individual productions. The extra virgin olive oil made in Orvieto is part of the ‘Colli Orvietani’ sub-area, from which it takes its name, and is made from a mixture of Moraiolo (15%), Frantoio (30%), Leccino (60%) and other varieties up to a total of 20%.
Orvieto is also the headquarters of the ‘Città Slow’ national circuit, heading a project that aims to safeguard and enhance genuine local cuisine. In addition to oil and wine, mention should be made of Svinnere, a liqueur made with sour wild cherries and Orvietan, a sweet drink that has healing properties – according to local tradition. It was invented by the native of Orvieto, Girolamo Ferrante and became famous for having cured King Louis XIV of France.