Rafe had studied in Rome and Florence, lived briefly in Orvieto, and returned to this corner of Umbria more than twenty years later. His intervening career in hospitality and real estate provided at least partial preparation for the peculiar pleasures of opening a restaurant in Italy. Astrid's background in design and culinary arts shapes the look of the space and how the kitchen thinks.

Alongside the family home, their 40 hectare certified organic and regenerative farm Tenuta Montiolo continues to take shape. The foundational planting of a 12 hectare chestnut silvopasture in 2023 has since been joined by a small fold of Highland cattle, two hectares of new vineyard (pinot nero and viognier), a stone fruit orchard, an experimental yuzu lemon orchard, and a 500m2 no-dig market garden. La Bettola is its table.

"Organic is the starting point. Regenerative is the next step: caring for the soil and the ecosystem, which — in our view — includes the people who live within it. Sustainability must mean economic viability too. If the numbers don't work, responsible farming remains an ideal."

On the Alfina plateau, Castel Giorgio, Province of Terni — twenty minutes from both Orvieto and Lake Bolsena.