In the footsteps of taste

In the majestic shade of Monte Serra, experience the preserved nature of Montecchio, a village with an ancient history. Visit the town aquarium of Tenaglie. In the same locality, visit Palazzo Ancajani, the seat of the Museum of rural life; also not to be missed is the museum of oil, near the old Bartolomei di Montecchio oil press. Machinery, tools and histories tell us of a culture and cultivation that go back thousands of years. Here extra-virgin oil has the colour of the Tiber, an intense green, of a bitter and spicy flavour, but with low acidity and slight smoky tones, maybe because it borders the structure of Frantoio, Leccino and Moraiolo; discover Nostrale di Rigali, Pendolino, Dolge Agogia, San Felice and Maurino.

Apart from vines and grain, the olive was a keystone of Greek and Roman food culture. Make a stop in the archeological area that used to be the Roman port of Pagliano, a place between Paglia and the Tiber, a few kilometres from Orvieto, where a dynamic trade with Rome took place between the 1st and 4th centuries, as the farming estates of the area shipped their goods to Rome's markets.
Experience the food of the ‘poor tradition', with truffle umbrichelli and 'tordomatto', a pork fillet roasted and seasoned with the flavours of the day, a pretext to try the famous local wines.
Olive production goes back to the ancient Velzna, where it was cultivated systematically from the 6th-7th centuries. Velzna is how Orvieto was known in the day (but also as Volsinii Veteres); resting on a platform of tuff, the village transports us into an ancient and interesting history. If you want to carry on experiencing the pleasures of taste, after a guided tour of the Necropolises of the Tufa stone Crucifix (Crocefisso del Tufo), the San Patrizio well and the Cathedral, you can opt for an aperitif at the Palazzo del Gusto [Palace of Taste].

Head towards Montegabbione, a small fortified village with imposing medieval walls facing the Nestore valley, overlooking the vast panorama. Don't miss in Montegiove, the Franciscan convent of Scarzuola. A snack of oil and bruschetta can be savoured in one of the oil mills of the area where you can also enjoy discovering tasting techniques.