I Ruderi

Civitella d'Agliano is one of central Italy’s best-kept secrets. Founded 3,000 years ago by the Etruscans, it was occupied by the Romans and altered in the Middle Ages -but virtually nothing has happened there since, beyond the construction of a small cluster of ‘modern’ shops and restaurants, and a pink town hall, on its outskirts. The old village is a maze of cobbled alleyways and steps huddled at the edge of a steep bluff; it overlooks the valley of the Tiber River which is entirely agricultural in this area and dotted with the limestone cliffs known as ‘calanche.’ No cars are permitted within the village but all the essentials are within walking distance: a wonderful restaurant and inn, the Tana de l’Istrice, owned by the local wine baron, lies two minutes’ walk away in the main square, with several small shops - a grocer’s, a butcher, a pharmacy, a post office and a pharmacy, as well as a handful of simple but good restaurants - just beyond. Winding roads lead from the village to key sights in both Lazio and Umbria within 30 minutes’ drive or less: the gardens of the Villa Lante, the ‘Monsters’ Park’ at Bomarzo and picture-perfect Lake Bolsena in the former, and Orvieto with its gorgeous cathedral and vineyards in the latter.

Getting There

Airports nearby:

Airports: Rome, 1 hour 30 minutes; Florence, about 2 hours.

By Car:

Motorway exit at Orvieto, 40 minutes along paved, winding roads. Cars cannot enter the old section of Civitella d’Agliano; the nearest parking, for several cars, is in a small piazza reached through a narrow archway, about 100m/110 yards from the house.