If you are taking a trip to Italy and haven’t booked your itinerary I would like to suggest including Orvieto in your plans. I was lucky enough to learn about this charming hilltop town from a dear friend and am so so so thankful we worked it into our schedule. It has a much slower pace than the larger cities like Rome and Florence but a lot of the same rich history to learn about and explore. It also happens to have the most stunningly beautiful Duomo I have ever seen and it reflects a warm rose gold when the sun hits it just right. So beautiful. As if that wasn’t enough it also happens to be the home of the best pizza I have ever had in my life and the best food I had on our entire trip. Yep, it’s a real winner. Tips and pics below if you’re interested.

ORVIETO
-The Duomo is incredible and deserves half a day of your trip. Take your time exploring every nook and detail but don’t miss taking it all in from afar as well. Maybe while sipping a glass of Orvieto Classico or a cafe from one of the nearby restaurants. You can read more about the building’s history here.
-One of the things we didn’t have a chance to do that I was really bummed to miss was a stroll around the outside walls of the town. As you can see in the pictures below the views are spectacular and I’ve heard the walk can be rather romantic. Darn. Check it out and let me know what you think.
-The best pizza of your life awaits at Pizzeria Charlie. Slow service but worth every passing second. OMG, the crust. It is not to be missed.
-The best restaurant in town is called Trattoria la Palomba and lives up to it’s hype. The family run business is full of friendly faces from the chef and owner to the servers. I enjoyed the best thing I ate on our trip here…toasted bread, olive oil, salt & pepper and fresh grated truffles. So simple and out of this world delicious.
-Skip the underground tour. Slow moving and not much to see.
-Make sure to buy some of their famous ceramics. If hauling back a large bowl or plate is more than you want to deal with stick to something small like a wine topper or Christmas tree ornament like we did. A great memory but easy to pack!

The most charming streets you ever did see

Pretty sure this wasn’t posed, someone was just really excited to try the Orvieto Classico

As I mentioned in my post about Rome, I took so many photos of doors…how can you not when they looks like this!?

Hitting up the weekly market in the piazza del popolo

Meats and cheese

I especially loved the dark and light striped stone along the sides of the church

The scene surrounding the front arches tell a story

Once again, the details are breathtaking

The door to the church was my favorite

A delicious courtyard lunch of stuffed tomatoes and carpaccio

The view looking down from town to the valley below

Lots of vines below!

Underground olive oil press used by the original townspeople

You know I needed the Aperol Spritz to feel official

The best pizza I have ever had in my entire life, it basically ruined everything else to come…yep, that good. Btw, don’t worry, there is a piece of burrata under each piece of proscuitto

A truffle base means a happy (stuffed) face. The dough on these bad boys is made with a special kind of wheat that contains a lower yeast content that traditional dough. It was incredible!

Thumbs up! Hubs approved.

Checking it out at dusk…important to see it in all different lights because it looks different each way

We also happened to catch a 4th of July celebration (yeah, in Italy…weird) where Mims (this Mims) performed with a local rapper. It was the weirdest event ever. Not only were we celebrating the 4th in Italy but the orchestra was alternating between movie classics from Mission Impossible, Star Wars and The Godfather to current songs from Kanye and Mims himself. BUH-zarre. We couldn’t stop laughing. Highly entertaining.

The duomo in all it’s glory

Case and point…what a stunner!

The best thing I ate on our trip was made with love from these truffles. So simple..a toasted piece of bread with olive oil, salt & pepper and shaved truffle. Video below.

Truffles for EVAAAA!!!!

This was one of my happiest moments of the trip. Please ignore my broken voice which was just barely starting to come back after four days gone.

A leisurely walk home but with a pit stop for gelato

Taking the funicular down to the base of town to head off to our next destination. Thank you for the memories, Orvieto.