Hotel La Badia

Orvieto – tuffa and a magnificent cathedral

by Trekki

Oh and now Orvieto. Despite that it was full of tourists when I was there (April 2008) I really liked the town. Maybe it was the location high on a tuffa plateau, maybe it was the very much contorted maze of streets or maybe it was the “underground”, because the whole town is hollowed out (or was by Etruscans and later continued by the locals).
I would set Orvieto very high on the list of a tour through Italy but looking back it was good that I have visited it at the end of my travel. Somehow it gave me the chance to arrive in reality, in a beautiful reality, just before I had to go back to catch my flight back home. The small villages in Italy’s middle regions have so much of a spiritual atmosphere that it would have been hard to come back into my daily world. It is difficult to describe (would be even in my native language) but anyone who has been there will understand what I mean.

But back to Orvieto. It is old, very old. Nearby once was one of the most important Etruscan settlements Fanum Voltumnae. Almost at the bottom of the northwestern part of the city, Necropoli Etrusca di Crocifisso is a magnificent witness of their burying habits, 3 € entrance fee (in April 2008), and should not be missed! There is a small room with excellent explanations of the tombs at its entrance.
But the most famous sight and why tourists come to Orvieto in herds is the magnificent Duomo. Ever since I saw a photo of its so beautiful façade I knew I must see it, as I adore mosaic work. And this one is a feast for the eyes indeed! Make sure you don’s only look at it but take minimum 30 minutes time to take in every little detail of it, from the magnificent mosaic pictures to the wonderfully pillars around the main and side entrance portals (photo 1); the main one is actually closed). Inside it is covered with wonderful frescoes, among them the very famous Last Judgement by Luca Signorelli. Breathtaking!!
And then the caves! The soft tuffa stone was ideal to be carved and almost the whole town has little and bigger caves beneath the houses, many of them connected and msot of them still in use. Two caves can actaully be visited, the one via a guided tour “Orvieto Underground” (ticket office is near the Duomo, entrance fee 5,50 €) and the other one is Pozzo della Cava in the western part of Orvieto, which I actually liked more, as it is filled with life and many explanations of the history of the caves. Entrance fee is 3 €.

The surrounding is also worth a visit, minimum one day. Civita di Bagnoregio is only 20 minutes to the south, and just south of Orvieto is a beautiful old Abbazia di La Badia, now a hotel, but possible to visit with most marvellous old frescoes.

And last but not least, Orvieto’s wine – the famous white Orvieto Classico. Very much delicious!!

Location of Orvieto on Google Maps.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Region: Umbria;
nearest airport: Roma or Perugia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© Ingrid D., May 2009 (just in case, RickS or others come along and think they can steal texts).

Heading to Sorrento

by Krystynn

If you're taking the BUS: If you're arriving from NAPOLI International Airport, you can hop onto one of the many shuttle buses which will bring you right to your hotel doorstep. Not exactly a steal at Euro 20 per person per transfer.

If you're hiring a private car: We chose this option (there were 3 of us) and it made more sense to split the cost of Euro 90. Plus, we get to arrive in comfort. That's exactly what you'd be paying for if you were to take a private car.

If you're DRIVING (brave soul!): Drive along the A3 Napoli-Salerno highway until you reach the Castellammare di Stabia exit and then along the SS145 road. This route will bring you right to Sorrento city center. Your whole journey should take you approx. 70 mins (depending on traffic).

The Orange Bus Line

by chilfiger

For a relaxing and inexpensive tour of the city hop on one of the orange city buses and enjoy the scenery. The buses are only one euro to take and the ticket lasts for 60 minutes so you can make connections if needed. The bus goes all over town and most important to the main port and Marina Grande which are long steep walks. The tickets are sold in tabacco shops and some hotels. You may want to see if you can print out a route map before heading to Sorrento or see if you hotel or campground has one.
The one trip not to miss is the end of the Capo Sorrento line. Follow the signs to Roman ruins and after a 10 - 15 minute walk you arrive at a beautiful rock beach into the Sea of Naples. This is a fairly grueling walk so make sure you are in good shape and well hydrated. You will find some locals sunning themselves on the rocks and maybe swimming. Again this is not easy access to the water but it can be done if you are in good shape and have a sense of adventure.

Drive the Amalfi Coast (But Not in the Rain)

by Goner

The buses do not drive the Amalfi Coast in the rain. We begged our bus driver to take us, but he said "no", but I wouldn't have driven it either.
AZHUT is building a great page on Amalfi, check it out to see what we missed.

sorrento - enchanting, magical

by papul

"sorrento"

the hotel we were staying in - damn i forgot the name.. had this incredible 180 degrees of the bay of naples... incredible!! and it has a pool looking over the sea... and the day we arrived it was the local day of the saint... so the town was incredibly lit up, and there was music in the town square where live bands played and the townspeople were all in a festive mood. so bought a bottle of a local wine - "the tears of christ" la chrima di christi if i have my italian right... and proceeded to enjoy the evening. sorrento is one of the most beautiful towns on the italian coast-line. no wonder there are songs about it...