Orvieto is located just about halfway between Florence and Rome. Built on a hill of volcanic soil, the vineyards in this area have produced wine since Etruscan times. It was like something from a dream.
Wow Moments in Orvieto
Have you ever been to a place that is like a living post card? Orvieto is that spot. Driving up the winding hills with rain streaking down the glass, our guide shared great stories with us on the bus ride. Then suddenly, the clouds parted to show us a beautiful city on a hill.
The vineyards were like paintings, olive trees lined up in perfect gray green rows in the cloudy skies.
TIP: Buy a Styrofoam wine shipping box at the post office in Florence (an adventure in overcoming the language barrier using charades) for a couple of Euro. We bought 6 bottles of olive oil and checked the box on the plane.
We took a trip into the depths of the wine cellar located underneath the main house. We were given a bit of history lesson, learning that wine has been produced from this estate for more than 150 years. After taking photos and enjoying a wine and olive oil tasting paired with a scrumptious lunch, we decided we could stay for a lifetime.
It was hard to leave, but we had to get ourselves to Rome. So, we added Orvieto as a potential retirement spot and boarded our bus.
Italian word/phrase of the day:Vino - Wine. The wine was often less than water. We filled our bottles in the fountains and spent our Euro on the wine.