The Hilltown of Orvieto

On our way from Venice to Rome we stopped for half a day at the hilltown of Orvieto. It's an ancient place inhabited continuously since the days of the Etruscans. There's a fantastic cathedral at the top, formerly a hideout for the Papalcy during the darker days of Rome.

We left our luggage at the hotel of an exceptionally nice old lady...or so we thought. She insisted that youngsters (like us) must walk up the hill and only old people (like her) take the funicular. Not wanting to disappoint her, we started uphill. It really didn't look that bad...

1/8 the way up the hill. Ummm, yeah, I could hear that 'nice' old lady's snarls of laughter coming from somewhere down at the base. We had gone too far to turn back, so we sucked it up and trudged onward.

2/3 the way up the hill we passed through the first gate. By now we were painfully aware of why this hill has been used as safe haven for more than 2,500 years. This enormous gate would have been the perfect place for city defenders to pelt us with spears and drench us with burning oil.


These exhausted tourists will tell you that the Tuscan landscape literally takes your breath away.