Blogs from Orvieto, Umbria, Italy, Europe - page 2

We have been many times to Orvieto but this is the first time we have used the dedicated sosta in the lower town. And what excellent facilities the town have provided. Hardstanding, electricity, water points, showers and toilets and a place to buy tickets for the funicular railway that links the lower town with the centro storico. What more could you ask for? Helpful staff and a cheap rate. Well we got both. The booking in system is highly technical. I was issued with a post it note with the time we had arrived written on it and confirmation that we had not asked for electrical hook up and told to bring it back when we left. Still it worked and it worked well. The tickets for the funicular cost 5 euros for two of us ... read more

A last minute decision today to visit Orvieto in the Umbria region but worth the trip. A quick 40 minute train ride from Chiusi/ Chioncino train station and upon arrival you cross a street and pay $1.30 Euro to ride the Venicular to the top. If you had to compare and I will use Montepulciano as an example. Montepulciano offers wonderful vistas everywhere you look but tends to come across as a more touristy area with shops dedicated to the tourists. Orvieto is completely the opposite and is a good mix of touristy areas and local charm. The streets are beautiful and a bit of an upgrade in comparison to Montepulciano. There is a dedicated tourist area close to the church which is magnificent and looks like the Duomo in Florence. It is beautiful. The train ... read more

Dear Max and Dominic, As you know, our plan is to work hard during the week and then spend the weekends exploring parts of Italy near the city we are living in. One thing that makes this very easy is that most of the train lines in Italy go through Bologna, including Speed Trains that go faster than 200 kilometres per hour. Last weekend we decided to explore two cities in a region of Italy called Umbria. This part of Italy is very hilly so quite a few small old towns have been built on hills. The two Hilltowns we wanted to spend time in were Orvieto and Assisi. These towns have been here for a very long time. Orvieto was built on an ancient volcanic hilltop at least 2200 years ago before the Romans had ... read more

Yesterday we stumbled upon the delicious gelato de neri, last week we stumbled upon the quirky Gubbio and today we stumbled upon Orvieto cathedral. We had been planning to go to Orvieto since before we left Australia because we wanted to visit the Itlian home of a friend of Toby's. We hadn't planned on spending any time in the town but John, who we were visiting, suggested that we go to the cathedral before going to is place for lunch. We hadn't realised that this week is THE holiday week for Italians. The main reason for it being this week is that August 15 is the feast of the assumption. We also hadn't realised that the feast of the assumption was today. So when we got to the cathedral and the doors were literally shut in ... read more

Geo: 42.7165, 12.1116What a fantastic day today. This morning we attended at cooking school. Just the four of us with Lorenzo and Jake at Zeppelin Ristorante in Orvieto. 9.00am start with lattes and pastries. The restaurant is award winning and we are cooking today with the restaurant chefs surrounding us, cooking for the guests. Although Lorenzo (Chef) and Jake (Medic - he's a nurse) are all ours for four hours. We learn to make pizza dough (a huge quantity) and make five different slabs. We make pasta from scratch and then prepare with a scrumptious pork and asparagus sauce. Next is a pork stew which is divine. Also a caponata (like a ratatouille - tomato, eggplant, capsicum). Finally a huge tray of tiramisu that Sue slaves over for ages, piping rosettes on top to complete. We ... read more