Orvieto - Hill Town Heaven

After a few hectic days in Rome, we headed for the quiet hill town of Orvieto. Orvieto is in an area of Italy called Umbria, which is similar to Tuscany, but not the same. This is the view from the town, rolling hills and vineyards.  We had to take a funicular up to the town since it's perched high above the hillside.  Pretty neat!

Orvieto is super old, it actually existed before the Roman Empire, but was later included in the Roman Empire. It's situation on top of a hill and its fortifications allowed it to be a safe haven during times of war and unrest. Many popes fled here when Rome was being threatened. Scott and I took a nice walk along the ramparts of the city, where you can look down and see the walls.

The town is quiet and charming, and we mostly appreciated the break after the hustle and bustle of Rome. The streets, obviously not designed for motor travel, are small and pedestrian friendly. We found little shops and delicious restaurants to enjoy!  The people here were also the friendliest we had encountered in Italy. Small town nice?  I think so.

Unfortunately, our time in Orvieto was cut a little short due to the missed train back in Cinque Terre. If we ever come back to Italy, we would definitely like to spend more time in this area! For this time though, we were off to Venice in the sunshine!