Orvieto – Peace and Quiet

After the hectic, busy streets of Rome, a visit to Orvieto is just what the doctor ordered. Following a short train ride from Rome (1.25 hours) you are dropped off in the rural Umbrian countryside where you can relax and breathe easy.

Orvieto is a hilltop town, so we took a quick funicular ride from the train station up to the centre of town. A shuttle bus awaits to bring you to the town square five minutes away.

Like many other Italian cities and towns, everything revolves around the church dominating the town square – again called the Duomo (our third Duomo!). It was quite magnificent for a small town – built to honour the miracle of a religious sacred cloth that contained blood from a broken host.

There are numerous shops, restaurants , museums, etc. but the best thing was the slow pace – people meandering along slowly with no purpose but to enjoy the sights.

Our accommodations were in a 14th century monastery – no surprise, about 30 metres from the cathedral where I am standing in the pic above. The rooms were basic with high ceilings but had all the amenities with a nice breakfast.

This was the view out my bedroom window in the AM when I stuck my head out to take a look around. Very nice spot!

The museums featured local art and artifacts but one thing I especially enjoyed was a visit to the Orvieto Underground – caves !!

It turns out that centuries ago, while the Truscans captured or held the Orvietans at bay – they dug downward (remember Orvieto is up on a hilltop) in order to reach water and then to store food and wine. They also housed pigeons to sell in the caves.

We were treated to a great sunset as we went to the supermarket to pick up the usual evening meal: wine, cheese , bread, chocolate, beer, salami, olive oil and whatever else caught our eye.

Well tomorrow it’s goodbye to Italy after a fantastic time chasing trains, eating pizza and pasta daily, cheap wine and cheaper beer, gelato, espresso and good times!