Italy 2007 – Siena/Orvieto/Rome
The plan for today was to make it a leisurely drive from Siena to Rome – by way of Orvieto and Civita. Before heading on the road, we tried one last time to find breakfast in Siena. We found a cafeteria not far from our hotel that had a nice selection of pastries, sandwiches, cafe’, and more. By the time we got three egg sandwiches, three pastries, a couple of cafe’s, and a Coke Light, our bill came out to about 35 Euro. A $45 breakfast? Ouch!
The Ford Fiesta – ready to roll to Rome!
We loaded up the car and started making our way south. I had hoped for some great scenic vistas on the way to Orvieto – but the first half hour was in pea soup fog. We finally broke out of it and got on to a road where we could go faster than 20mph about an hour south of Siena. Just as we were coming out of it, we drove through an area loaded with agriturismos.. countryside B&Bs. I have no idea what they must cost – but what a view!
An agritourismo just south of Siena
The other unbelievable thing was the number of cyclists on the road – serious road racing types in full spandex and expensive bikes. It looked like a fantastic ride – but having crazy Italian drivers and lost Americans (ahem) whizzing by would be a little scary. Oh – I wish I had my bike!
We arrived in Orvieto in the early afternoon. Orvieto is one of the hill towns of central Italy – where the entire town is situated on a plateau several hundred feet above the valley floor. Before riding the funicular to the top, we had to make a quick grocery stop to get William some milk and diapers. Apparently it was the grand opening of the grocery store that day – so anybody that purchased more than 25 Euros got a free loaf of fruit bread much to my mother’s glee.
The view looking up the funicular tracks in Orvieto
At the top, we caught a shuttle bus that delivered us to the Orvieto Cathedral. According to the guidebooks, the cathedral sports one of the grandest facades in all of Italy. It did not disappoint! Even though it was a very gray day – it was busting with color and light. Apparently due to its natural fortifications, Orvieto was always considered a ‘hideaway’ for the popes – thus the grand cathedral.
The Orvieto Cathedral
After failing to find lunch on the square (darn off-season!), we set off on a wild goose chase following another Rick Steves hand drawn map that didn’t label any of the back alleys. Ultimately, we found what we were looking for – but, being November, it was closed. We settled for a little cafe’ where I had (guess what) – Pizza. We got some gelato after lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon browsing for souvenirs. One of the most comic moments was ditching my mother so we could buy her Christmas present – without realizing she was off shopping for Heather’s.
William waiting for his mommy and grandma to return from shopping
Our original plan was to visit Civita after we finished up in Orvieto. Since it was now late afternoon, there was just no chance we’d make it before sundown. It sounded like pretty much everything would be closed in Civita in the off-season – so if it was too dark to take pictures, there wasn’t much point in going there. We decided to spend the rest of the afternoon in Orvieto before going straight to Rome.
The view of the old fortifications in Orvieto
We hiked our way back down to the funicular stop after a quick tour of the Cathedral. We got back to the car right at dusk and hopped onto the Autostrada that went directly from Orvieto to Rome (all roads lead to Rome, right?). It took about two hours to get to Rome and another half-hour to drive around the north side of Rome to reach the airport. We pulled in to the airport about 5 minutes before our taxi was due to pick us up.
The interior of the Orvieto Cathedral
For whatever reason, we missed the “Rental Car Return” sign at Fiumencino airport and had a tense few minutes as Heather ran in to the terminal to find where to go. As it turned out, it was in the ramp located right next to where we were parked. After returning the car, our taxi showed up and drove us directly to our apartment. After a week of driving in Italian traffic – it was a big relief to not have to drive!
Our apartment turned out to be the biggest score of the trip. I booked it on VRBO – and it was about half the cost of a hotel. It was a very nice 2 bedroom, 2000 square foot apartment in a secure building about 3 blocks from the Colosseum. It included a full kitchen, living room, king sized beds, a nice bathroom – and a computer with high-speed internet. It was a great retreat in the middle of Rome.
Dinner that night was at the cafe’ on the corner that was recommended to us by our host, Paolo. We had a pretty large meal that night that was pretty inexpensive – though I could have lived without the fish antipasto. William was the star of the show as he kept making eyes at the eastern European waitress. The meal ended with some of the best lemon sorbet of the trip. I’m not sure if it was included or if we just got it because “Paulo sent us”.
Before turning in for the night, I booked a tour group for the Vatican. Having been to the Vatican before – the museum and the Sistine chapel wasn’t among my favorite stops. We figured that having a guide would help understand the overwhelming collection and appreciate the tour more. I had to do a little research to figure out the best one – and ultimately selected one recommended by Rick Steves.
Tomorrow: The Vatican – and the “little mustache”.
See the rest of my pictures over at SmugMug: link
