Vetralla is south east of Capalbio to the west of the nearby Lago di Vico, and though rather ordinary, has a small, straight centro storico that is not without its crumbling charm. But it’s also the home of the wonderful Il Babb pizzeria. There’s great pizza, and then there’s this, and the chef/owner won a world championship for his recipes. Yes there is such a thing, and it’s terrific.

Vetralla itself was an important Roman fortification on the Via Cassia road, and was battled over constantly in the middle ages by various popes and the lords of Viterbo, who especially objected to Vetralla being given extensive nearby woodlands, which the town still celebrates each year! Pope Eugene III was based here, from where he initiated the second crusade, and Vetralla is unique in being the only non-English city to receive the protection of the English Crown, which Henry VIII bestowed upon it in 1512, though we’re not sure why.