Umbria
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In 6 words: We choose Tuscany all the time. Worthy attractions: Orvieto. Left for another visit: Assisi; Gubbio; Perugia; Spoleto; Todi. Last visit: September 2003. |
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Umbria has a lot to offer, starting with a number of dramatically positioned hill towns and including the famous town of Assisi. Unfortunately, Umbria is always overshadowed by its neighbor, Tuscany, and we, like many others, are guilty of overlooking this picturesque region. In fact, we only drove through Umbria a couple of times on the way to and from Rome, and only stopped once for an hour or so in Orvieto. I’m hoping we’ll find opportunities for more exploration in the future.
Orvieto
This magnificent town looks down on great vistas of vineyard-dotted plains. There are several interesting churches and little museums, as well as an Etruscan necropolis and a fairly unique attraction in the form of the vast well, Pozzo di San Patrizio. We did not have time to include touring any of these into our brief stop in Orvieto.
Aside from a brief stroll around medieval town center and a few moments of contemplation from high lookouts, we only toured the Duomo ♥♥, one of the greatest Romanesque-Gothic cathedrals in all of Italy. In our opinion, just that alone justified our spur-of-the-moment decision to turn off at Orvieto for a quick look.