La Buca delle Fate (+39 (0)5787 48448) or Latte di Luna (+39 (0)5787 48606) provide nice lunch stops, with the typical Tuscan menu items including “picci” pasta. The main attractions are the cathedral featuring Gothic designs, the papal Palace Piccolomini and the Diocesan museum with breathtaking Renaissance chef d’oeuvres (The streets have romantic names - “Love Street,” “Kiss Street” - echoing the concept of an ideal city. Incredibly restyled with a spectacular Duomo, the historic center of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and lies atop a hill with a circular path around the town walls offering a 360-degree view of the valley. Set in Val D’Orcia, Tuscany’s most charming area, Pienza is a tiny jewel, the perfect Renaissance city designed by native Pope Pio II.Įverything here is clean, perfect and tidy.
Il Gattamelata restaurant (+39 (0)74420 717245) facing the sculpted Cathedral has great wild boar and delicious porcini mushrooms. It’s worth visiting the impressive Augustus bridge, built in Roman times, and the city museum showcasing Renaissance masterpieces (June is the best time to visit, when a traditional festival transforms the town into a medieval carnival with horses and dressed-up warriors.Īnd if you’re looking for something spooky but exciting, don’t miss Narni’s Holy Inquisition underground tunnels, featuring spectacular prison cells covered in graffiti, Masonic symbols and alchemic formulas, and the guided tours in the 700-meter long Formina Roman aqueduct, one of the few open to the public in Italy (Part of Narni’s mystical status comes from its location: right at the geographical center of Italy.ī&B Podere del Cardinale offers accommodation in a former estate of Pope Giulio II, who commissioned Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. Restaurant Il Locandiere (+39 (0)9335 8292) offers a typical lunch while B&B Tre Metri Sopra il Cielo offers a cozy stay at the top of the staircase.Ĭonquered by the Romans who called it Narnia, the dominating Albornoz fortress and lion statue, the symbol of the town, apparently inspired C.S.
The Bronte pistachio, figs and almond flavors at the central bar facing the staircase are the best. Must-sees include the ceramics museum, the Borbonic jail and the crèche museum, showcasing the best of the Sicilian tradition (The best way to savor the city is to walk along the artisans’ boutiques, which show off beautifully hand-made ceramics of live-size Christmas trees, Phoenician merchants’ faces, gigantic green, red and blue pinewoods but also miniature ceramic owls and snails.Ī day of shopping can be concluded with a slushie served inside a warm brioche. Once at the top the city’s streets and piazzas unravel before you, showing off the lively piazza.
The top attraction is the monumental, flowery 142-step staircase of the Santa Maria del Monte, built in the 17th century, featuring hand-decorated majolica from different periods. Getting here requires rolling across the desolate Erei hills.