October 14-16

On Wednesday we took a train to Orvieto, a hill town in Umbria (the lesser known sister to Tuscany). Orvieto is built upon volcanic rock and sits high up on a rock out-cropping, so the only way up is in a vehicle on the winding road, walk (quite a while) or take the Funicular, a train that goes strait up the hill. But once you get to the old town of Orvieto the views are breathtaking and the air is so clear and the crowds seem to disperse and fade away, and well worth the journey. This was the Italy of our dreams, we often had streets to ourselves and we could see miles and miles of rolling sometimes dramatic, steep hills.

The streets of Orvieto.

We found a room in a convent called Isitutos Salvatore for very cheap, although, with the discounted rate we also got a 10:30 curfew and I’m pretty sure the nuns we keeping tabs on us. At any rate it was a good clean room with a private bath and a wonderful view so I’d say it was a good trade off. We put down our things and promptly began exploring our new town. It was a breath of fresh air as we walked around open streets with locals shopping and greeting each other all around us. We had heard that the place to eat was at Chirro’s restaurant called Tratorria Del Orso so we headed there a half an hour before it was supposed to open because our stomachs couldn’t handle the suspense any longer. We cautiously opened the door to the restaurant and stepped inside where we were eagerly welcomed by 2 grandfatherly men who told us to come on in and sit down, no bother that they weren’t quite open yet! Chirro sat us down and asked us what we wanted to eat. Sans menus, you had the feeling you were at your grandfather’s house and he was going to fix you a plate of your favorite dish. Whatever you want. We had been told to order the “Trust your Chef” tasting menu so we did and when we ordered that a twinkle came into Chirro’s eyes and off he went to tell the chef. We dinned like royalty that night on 2 different fresh pastas, 1 chicken dish, salad (with his homemade, home grown olive oil), bread, homemade tiramisu, the house wine (which was excellent), and water! My tummy is rumbling just thinking about it! That night we fell asleep with full bellies, happy hearts and a smile on our lips.
 
Leah in front of the convent where we stayed.     Our favorite place to eat in Orvieto

Thursday morning, we hit the ground running, after breakfast we went to Duomo di Orvieto, the uniquely striped church. Duomo di Orvieto is best known for its Capella Nova frescos by Beato Angelico and Luca Signorelli (Michelangelo was on of his protégés) of the Last Days, and judgment day. To see this chapel is to be moved and to be warned of things yet to come for us all and it was a spiritual moment for me. If you go, I think its best in the morning when it’s not so busy so you can take your time especially in this little chapel. The main part of the Cathedral is impressive in its minimalism, most Catholic Cathedrals are dripping with items and frescos and statutes to the point of gaudy sometimes, but not this one there aren’t even permanent pews in the main sanctuary, it’s floors are empty up to the alter which makes for a grand feeling.
The Duomo di Orvieto

After that we went on an underground tour. Orvieto was literally build from the ground it sits on, meaning they tunneled under the town to get volcanic rock to mix with limestone to make cement with which to build the houses, shops and churches. It’s a delicate dance because you don’t want to take too much so that the town implodes on itself and yet its easy and convenient building material that’s free. There are estimated 1200 tunnels under Orvieto, most are private and there are some restaurants that use them as a unique dining experience. We only toured the few that are public, and it was interesting to learn that they used them for a variety of reasons, such as olive oil presses, pigeon farms, churches, wells and in world war II they took refuge there from the bombs.

The etruscan tunnels

An old Etruscan olive press.

An Etruscan tunnel used for pigeon farming.

Next up was Civita di Bagnoregio, another hill town not too far from Orvieto. This is one of the more unique hill towns and not so easy to get to as you either need to catch a bus or drive to the nearest town and then walk across a dramatic bridge and up into the town itself. Its well worth the effort if you are nearby because the effect is dramatic, however this slight inconvenience comes at a price of population, to date there are only 9 permanent residents in Civita. The rest are there to take a break from the outside world, relax, and slow down and become Rapunzel’s. The beauty of that place is hard to describe you really have to see it to appreciate it. Breathtaking indeed.

The town of Civita.
 
A beautiful princess and a fairyland hilltown!


We stopped in for some real Bruschetta made over the coals!

Yum, yum right there!

 

The streets of Orvieto at night.

That night, our last night there, we decided to enjoy Chirro’s place one last time. I know we should have tried a new place, because really there are other wonderful, magical looking restaurants there, but we just wanted to end our experience with the warmth we felt at his restaurant. We are glad we did, no regrets! So if you find yourself wandering around Umbria and don’t know where to go, Orvieto and Civita will treat you well and play out your Italian hillside dreams just nicely. Enjoy!

Happy Trails,

The Smuckers