Wine Pairing: Orvieto Classico DOC Orvieto Classico DOC is a reminder that an important Italian white does not need to be varietally labeled. Its identity comes from a traditional blend centered on Grechetto and Procanico, supported by other permitted grapes, and from the hills around Orvieto. The strongest modern examples are dry, gently textured and savory, with pear, citrus, chamomile and almond rather than exaggerated tropical fruit or obvious oak. In the cellar, this dis

A complete guide to Umbria: Perugia and Terni, essential dishes and wines, serious restaurants and hotels, and twenty-five places that reveal the region’s history, landscape and living culture.

Ciriole are thick handmade flour-and-water pasta from Terni in southern Umbria. The strands resemble stout, irregular spaghetti but have no egg and should retain the honest resistance of a rustic dough. A classic Ternana treatment uses tomato, garlic, parsley and peperoncino, allowing the rough surface of the ciriole to capture a simple sauce. The preparation depends on texture rather than an elaborate ingredient list.