Hi, Everyone,
We arrived in Orvieto about lunch time yesterday. Once we got settled into our rooms at Villa Mercede, we set out to find some lunch. The weather is great, the city is just as beautiful as the last time I was here.
For those of you who have never been here, I will tell you that Orvieto is one of the first hill towns that you will see, going north from Rome towards Florence. This town sits 1,000 feet above the valley floor. The best way for me to describe it, is for you to imagine a giant flat-topped mushroom with a big, thick stem, sitting in the most lovely green valley. I hope that when I post some pictures, you will see the resemblance.
This town is centuries old. There are churches from the 13th and 14th Centuries A.D. With all the little rabbit-warren streets, winding around the city, one might be afraid of getting lost. You might get lost, but not for long. Similar to being on an island, you will be on this mushroom cap…eventually, you will see the Torre de Moro, with its clock face, or a spire from the Duomo, and find your way back to your hotel or to your friends.
There were many tourists in town yesterday, so it was not possible to get into the Duomo and see it like I wanted to see it. We did find some great ceramic shops, many gelato shops, and of course, a delightful restaurant tucked away in an alcove, where we had pizza for our lunch.
Later, after an appropriate after- lunch siesta, we all went for walks in the ancient city. When we did meet up again for dinner, everyone had experienced different sights in the city, and it was fun to share our adventures together.
We had a very good dinner at Da Carlo, a Trattoria tucked into a little side street. Carlo was out greeting the customers, and what a sense of humor. He is the chef, makes all his own pasta, and everything he serves is organic. Carlo looks to be around 30 years old…and his Mamma was right there, helping with the serving, and taking orders, but only in Italian. All the tables were outside, and we enjoyed a great meal. After our meal, we decided to try 2 different desserts, to share. I told Mamma what we wanted, and asked her to bring 6 spoons. We laughed when she brought out the tiramisu and the panna cotta, each with 6 coffee spoons stuck into the dishes.
We retired about 10:00 p.m., pleasantly tired. It was such a warm evening, I kept my window open for the fresh hill town air. This morning, about 4:45, just as the dawn was about to break, I was awakened by a bird singing right outside my window. I got up, looked out the window, and I could see it was going to be a beautiful morning. Totally against my usual habit of going back to bed, covering up my head and going back to sleep, I got up, got dressed and went out for a morning walk. Now, those of you who know me well, will find this unbelievable. And what is more unbelievable, I actually enjoyed being up and out. I was almost totally alone out there. Once in a while, an early morning runner, or the garbage truck would go by, but I was the only tourist out there. I was out for almost 2 hours before I made my way back to the Piazza Duomo and found a bar open and had my morning coffee. Now people were beginning to be out and about.
We each did different walks again, today. I loved looking over the Umbrian valley, and seeing the old stone buildings.
Now we must go find food again! I love this! It is dinner time, and so many good restaurants to choose from, most serving regional food, and all fresh and delicious.
Tomorrow we are going to Bagnoregio and the ancient city of Civita. More adventures, more fun.
And thank you, all who have responded so favorably to my blog posts. I enjoy sharing these times with you, and I am so happy that you are enjoying reading about them.
Until next time,
Ciao,
Dolly
The post Dolly Travels: Orvieto appeared first on Purple Roofs Gay Travel Blog.