2 Weeks in Italy - Part 3 - Orvieto

When I took the Taste of Italy tour I was so taken with the Tuscany and Umbria regions of Northern Italy that I went back to see Orvieto on a second tour...

The Tuscan countryside on the way North .... a little blurry (through the bus window) but oh, so beautiful and green in early March.

On the way up the drive was incredible...   I fell in love with the olive trees and purchased some items

made from the beautifully carved olive wood. 

  View from the top once we reached Orvieto

It had snowed a little that day - we could even see our breath in the tour van.  I had to laugh a few times - there were two women from Orange County, Los Angeles area in California.  And they were a bit like the show The Real Housewives of Orange County - quite spoiled.  They complained often to the driver and the tour guide and were horribly rude - because they hadn't dressed appropriately for the tour.  I had only a light jacket (hadn't expected to see snow), but was so excited to experience the beauty of the area that NOTHING was going to ruin my trip.  It was an adventure - and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!

The ancient Eutruscan Cities are build on the top of hillsides with huge walls built surrounding the city so they can be protected from their enemies. 

We had to take a cable car up to the older part of the city...

I loved the narrow alley ways and the shops

The pottery was hand made and hand painted .... I purchased a plate for my collection.

 The Cathedral was breath taking - It was very ornate on the exterior.  The ones in Rome were more ornate inside.    

The doorways to homes and shops were very amazing too:

We also visited Assisi in the afternoon ... but I'll leave that for another article!

Hope you enjoy, I know I did!  And can't wait to get back to one of my favorite cities...