Wine Doc

Orvieto

White DOC wine from the hills between Terni and Viterbo

also known as orvieto doc, orvieto superiore

A white wine carved into Etruscan tufa history, toasted by Garibaldi's Thousand: Orvieto has held Denominazione di Origine Controllata status since 1971.

A white wine, produced in the hills between the provinces of Terni and Viterbo: the Etruscans already carved three-level cellars into the tufa, using gravity for fermentation and ageing. In the Renaissance the painters Pinturicchio and Luca Signorelli, called to decorate the Duomo di Orvieto, asked to be paid partly in the city's wine.

It is said that Giuseppe Garibaldi and his Thousand toasted with Orvieto wine before embarking from Talamone for Sicily, in 1860. Denominazione di Origine Controllata status arrived in 1971; since the 1997 harvest there has also been an «Orvieto Superiore» version, with lower yields and a minimum alcohol content of twelve per cent.

Today Orvieto remains one of the oldest and best-known Italian white wines, produced in a territory of rock-cut cellars that can still be visited beneath the city.

More typical dishes

First course

Carbonara pasta with guanciale, egg, pecorino romano and black pepper

Guanciale, egg yolk, pecorino romano and black pepper: Rome's signature pasta comes from a recipe fought over between trattorias and army rations.

Street food STG

Pizza Napoletana tomato, mozzarella and basil on hand-stretched dough, baked in a wood-fired oven

Hand-stretched dough, tomato, mozzarella and basil, baked in under a minute in a wood-fired oven: Neapolitan pizza is an art recognised by Unesco.

Main course PAT

Bistecca alla Fiorentina T-bone cut of Chianina beef, grilled rare over embers

A T-bone cut from Chianina beef, grilled rare over embers with no seasoning at all: Florence's signature dish.

🌿 Local produce PAT

Pesto alla Genovese basil, garlic, pine nuts, pecorino and oil pounded in a mortar

Basil, garlic, pine nuts, pecorino and oil, pounded in a marble mortar: the sauce that has had a written recipe since 1863, born in Genoa.

Street food PAT

Sfincione soft focaccia with tomato, onion, anchovies and caciocavallo

Tall, soft bread dough, tomato, onion, anchovies, oregano and caciocavallo: sfincione is Palermo's focaccia, cut into squares.

Street food PAT

Arancina fried rice ball stuffed with meat ragù

Saffron rice, ragù with peas and caciocavallo cheese inside a golden crust. Round and feminine in Palermo, pointed and called arancino in Catania: the quarrel is serious.