Trevi sits on a near-perfect conical hill in the Spoleto valley, its medieval walls following the contour from the summit (Piazza Mazzini, with the 13th-century Palazzo Comunale) to the olive groves that blanket every slope. Trevi is the olive oil capital of Umbria — the town produces some of the finest DOP Umbria extra virgin from Moraiolo, Leccino, and Frantoio olives grown on the terraces that define the town's silhouette. Inside the walls: the church of Madonna delle Lacrime (1487) contains a Pintoricchio fresco (Adoration of the Magi) of the quality you'd expect in Perugia or Spoleto, not in a town of 8,000. The Fonti del Clitunno (4km south) — a spring-fed pool of crystal water surrounded by weeping willows, sacred to the Romans, painted by Corot and described by Byron — is a UNESCO site and the most poetic natural spot in the Spoleto valley. Umbria →
Plan my Umbria trip →Madonna delle Lacrime: The Pintoricchio Adoration of the Magi (1521) — rich color, detailed landscape, gold, and the master's late style. Also: a Lo Spagna Deposition. €3. Museo della Civiltà dell'Ulivo (Olive Civilization Museum): In a former convent — the history of olive cultivation from Roman times, oil presses, and tasting. €3. The centro storico: Compact, steeply climbing lanes from the lower gates to Piazza Mazzini. The 14th-century Palazzo Comunale has a small art gallery. Fonti del Clitunno (4km south): Crystal-clear spring-fed pools under willows — the Romans worshipped here, Byron wrote about the water, and the Tempietto del Clitunno (a tiny early-Christian temple, UNESCO) stands nearby. €3 Fonti, €3 Tempietto.
Getting there: Trevi station (Spoleto-Foligno line, 10min from either). By car: 15min from Spoleto, 30min from Perugia. Stay: €45-80/night. Eat: Taverna del Pescatore (€25-35 — spaghetti with black truffle, local oil on everything), Osteria La Vecchia Posta (€20-30). Buy oil: directly from frantoi (olive mills) around Trevi during Frantoi Aperti (November festival). Combine with: Spoleto (15min), Montefalco (10min — Sagrantino wine), Bevagna (15min), Spello (15min).