Visner: the marriage of wine and fruit Svinnere, Orvieto “visner”, is an old recipe using Orvieto wine. This spirit is obtained from the fermentation of red wine and cherries (various types of sour cherries, or morello cherries) spiced with cinnamon, cloves and bitter almonds with the addition of brandy or alcohol.

Preserves from the surroundings of Orvieto It seems rather natural that in this area the tradition of preserves should have developed and been maintained above all because of the marked rural bent of this territory and the importance of agriculture which guaranteed the farmers and owners provisions all year round. Cardoon It’s not Christmas or New Year’s without cardoons. Traditionally there must be a dish of cardoons on the holiday table. In December the cardoon can be seen standing majestically tall in all the vegetable gardens of and around Orvieto. The Monteleone pear The Monteleone pear, typical of the far-flung surroundings of Orvieto (Monteleone d’Orvieto, Castelgiorgio, Castel Viscardo, Allerona) and of the bordering territories (Orte, Amelia, Alta Tuscia), is at high risk of becoming extinct. It is not traditionally grown in an orchard but separately as a large, thriving, particularly fruitful tree. Flavors and aromas from Orvieto In the fourth century BC the urban settlement of Velzna was destroyed by the Romans who deported the surviving inhabitants to nearby Volsinii (the current Bolsena). The territory was not however totally abandoned: the river port of Palianum testifies to the presence of Roman “ville” (country houses) serving as farms.