Todi’s historic center is said to be compact and easily walkable with a central square bordered by the cathedral and palaces.  The drive to Todi is through beautiful hilly country, where we can see the town in the distance. Once there, we luck out and find the central parking lot at the bottom of the hill, well outside the old walled city streets (always a bonus) with an even bigger bonus of a free elevator – which is really more of a funicular – to take you up to the city level. 

We are the only people on the lift as it takes us up the steep hill and deposits us on this broad open terrace with spectacular views out across the flatlands below and Todi right in front of us.  Meandering into the walled city, we first stumble upon the Chiesa di San Fortunato, proudly sitting upon a hill with switchback stairs reaching up to the front doors.  Inside, we are vax checked, then allowed to explore the main church area with 13 chapels and preserved frescoes as well as enter the sacristy under the altar to view the tomb of the Blessed Jacopone (don’t ask – I don’t know who the Blessed Jacopone was – or if this is his tomb or the sarcophagus with the 5 saints inside – it is a little confusing since we have to research this after the fact and there aren’t any printed descriptions, this being a real live church and all!).

After the crypt, which was still fascinating, regardless of who is buried there, we climb the bell tower for great views across the city rooftops.  The climb itself is cool, up a narrow stone staircase that hugs the exterior walls, ending in the bell tower where people have torn the protective fencing off the windows so we can have better photos.  Thank you, prior vandals!

Visit complete, we take a winding route through back lanes and cobblestone streets, marveling at the architecture and the buildings all around us.  It is a lovely city to just wander through, and we do, eventually turning back up hill and navigating toward the main Piazza del Popolo, which is truly scenic with the palaces on each side and the Cathedral presiding over them at the head of the square. 

We circle a couple of times, meander off down little streets that shoot out from the square looking for food, but there is nothing in the sun, and we definitely need sunshine for warmth.  As it turns out, none of the restaurants in the sun are even open, so we go with the Gran Café Serrani, which has the most tables, right on the square staring up at the Cathedral. Atmosphere counts, even at the expense of warmth.

It is actually a sweet little place, filled with locals who are eating and drinking, so we figure we can’t go wrong.  Lunch turns out to be a feast of little sandwiches and flatbreads – both with tons of meat and bread.  With wine and beer, nice and filling, preparing us for afternoon walks and wanderings.

Fully fed, we stop a moment at the overlook for panoramic views….

….before returning to the lift, where we ride down with 2 local women.  Or at least we start to ride down. We’re not even ¼ of the way down the tracks when the car suddenly jolts to a stop.  Uh oh.  All 4 of us look at each other – horrified.  No one knows what to do!  After a few moments of jabbering in Italian and English, we end up pushing the button to go down, and the car mysteriously starts up again.  Nervous laughter all around.  Phew.  Glad that situation was remedied!

Safely back in the car, we take the southern route back to Orvieto, which runs directly along the River Tiber and skirts around Lago di Corbara with scenic views and picturesque vineyards dotting its shores.

We easily get back into Orvieto, now knowing exactly how to maneuver into the town and into our parking yard.  The rest of the afternoon is spent organizing, hanging out, shopping, and cooking some great sausages to go along with the fresh pasta and tomato sauce we bought at the grocery store.  A very fun day. And lovely relaxing evening on and off our little balcony overlooking the town.