C
ountryside arrives quickly
beyond Rome. Yellow villas stand
on hillsides surrounded by the
exclamation marks of cypress
trees. This is a rich land, where
sunflowers bloom, wild horses wade in
marshland, and truffles grow in oak forests.
Olives and vines were brought here by the
ancient Etruscans. Medieval towns sit on tufa
outcrops, proud little city-states of leaning
houses and terracotta-roofed chapels. It’s a
landscape shaped by two-and-a-half millennia
of human effort. Naysayers knock it as the
poor man’s Tuscany, but Umbria is rich in
history, gloriously beautiful and a gourmet’s
temptation. Take your time, and its pleasures
are revealed.Orvieto comes first if you’re heading north.
It’s just over an hour from Rome, and appears
in a tangle of railway lines, petrol stations
and supermarkets. But look above: Umbria’s
old towns are crag-clinging and haven’t been
spoiled by the modern infrastructure that, of
necessity, lies below. In Orvieto, visitors
ascend in an elevator through rock and find
themselves in an old town dense with
medieval buildings. Plunge in among old
towers, Gothic palaces, and shops selling
earthenware. Patterned cobblestones lead
towards the chief sight: the improbable
zebra-striped cathedral.The food entices you to linger. Local farmers
arrive at the market in Piazza del Popolo with
eggs, rosemary, red beets, and flowers; try a
nibble of the strange local herb called
rooster’s foot. Then investigate the
alimentare. Orvieto is one of the leaders of
Italy’s slow food movement, and its delis are
bulging with fennel-flavoured porchetta,
salami, cheeses, and crespolino pancakes with
leeks in a béchamel sauce. Then indulge in
gelato; look for a sign that says produzione
propria (homemade) and you can’t go wrong.
Even the simplest scoop is exotic and
splendid: mellow mango, tangy tangerine,
jasmine with a hint of cinnamon.From here you might head to Perugia, which
sits high on another hill, eyeballing rivalFOOD & WINE