Weaving Lanes of Medieval Orvieto

View of Orvieto

The historic center of Orvieto 

is perched high on a volcanic rock in Umbria, Italy. 

Surrounding it below is the newer part 

of Orvieto. 

View from the top.

To get from one to the other you can climb, climb, climb 

or you can use an elevator, escalator, mini bus or a funicular 

as parking above is restricted to only residents. 

There is a large public lot below. 

Once you arrive you will be greeted by 

weaving lanes of intersecting cobbled lanes 

that can quickly disorient you, 

so take note of the landmarks along your path. 

A cobbled lane in Orvieto.

The jewel of Orvieto is 

the gothic cathedral. 

Cathedral of Orvieto

After 300 years of work the duomo was completed in 1591. 

But Orvieto itself has history dating back to the ancient Etruscans. 

Cathedral of Orvieto

One of the things to do here is to visit the old underground tunnels and caves
that have been carved out of the soft rock below the town.
Many of these areas are privately owned,
but with a guide you can visit a section of them.

The View from our Room at the Grand Italia 

There is also an interesting well 

with steps created to enable the mules to carry water out. 

The design of the dual steps creates a double helix. 

Morning Gossip

If your visit includes a Saturday 

you will see the locals catching up 

and sharing news  with each other 

throughout the town. 

At the Market

Saturday also offers a market of tempting food, clothing and home goods. 

Bring cash as no credit is accepted. 

Holy Laundry

But my favorite thing was to wander the streets and alleys 

and see the people and architecture of Orvieto. 

If you can make it to Umbria, 

and want a place a little less touristy 

then make a stop in Orvieto.

Wine Tasting at Tenuta Le Velette, Umbria, Italy

Wine Tasting Experience...

Yes, please. 

Especially at an Umbrian winery with an idyllic view like this one has! 

The front door. 

Our guide Cecilia is also an owner of the winery

so she knows the wines and estate well. 

Etruscan wine cellar from 400 BC. 

Our wines were paired with appropriate 

cheeses, meats or breads for a perfect tasting experience. 

In the cellars...these wines are not used
but occasionally opened by family.

Cecelia made sure we experienced 

how the food pairings affected how we tasted the wine. 

Of course we bought some to bring home. 

But then we found out you can also purchase their wine in the US! 

Yay. 

We had a perfect visit here. 

The weather. 

The view.

The wine. 

The experience. 

View of the hill town of Orvieto from the Winery

I pretty much loved every wine I had in Italy

and today's wines were no exception to that. 

Visit if you can! 

You can also stay on the property if you like. 

More of my images from the winery are here.

Localita Le Velette 23, 05018, Orvieto, Italy

The Ceramics of Deruta, Italy

While making our way through Umbria 

- which I fell in love with, by the way-

we found ourselves touring a family ceramic shop in Deruta. 

Ceramics is Deruta's claim to fame 

since the middle ages, 

thanks to the local clay found there. 

Today, Deruta continues to provide the world 

with exquisite maiolica. 

As you can see, 

each piece is meticulously hand painted 

with intricate designs.  

I could not even pick a favorite pattern.  

I loved all the rich colors on the white backdrop 

no matter what the design was. 

Of course we had to come home with something, 

but choosing was so difficult. 

I finally selected a piece 

which was carefully packaged in order to make it home safely.

There a many ceramist shops in Deruta, 

we visited Ceramiche Gialletti Giulio 

located at 

Via Tiberina Sud, 304, 06053 Deruta PG, Italia

Images from this visit can be seen here.