Day trips done, the next 2 days are for sticking closer to home and exploring the nooks and crannies found around Orvieto.  But first, breakfast!  The helpful notes left to us by our host says that the bakery across the street from the apartment has the best lumachelle – a typical Umbrian salty bread dough that all Orvietanos eat – and we figure we’ll go local.  I run across the street to buy a few and end up with a huge chocolate chip brioche as well. What can I say? I could not resist this thing – it’s the size of my head!  And only 1 Euro 50.  I mean, come on.

Anyhow, both are delicious and will fortify us for our walking today because we are going to hike the Anello della Rupe – the ring path that completely circles Orvieto below the tufa and walls.  We can access the path from the parking lot near our car, and what we’ve read indicates we can make the whole loop in an hour and a half.  It is another gorgeous day, why not go out and explore and exercise?

It is a gorgeous walk, full of panoramic views across the Umbrian valleys and up into the hills in the distance.  The walk takes us from the town level at the parking lot, down about halfway to the access road we used to access Orvieto, then up again and around to the Fortezza Albornoz and the Porta Soliana.  In between there are beautiful vistas, tree lined and leaf strewn paths, the immense tufa walls of the town towering over us and at one point a lane leading back up to the town with a few houses scattered down the lane – including one that is abandoned, which of course we immediately begin scheming about buying, resettling here and renovating.  Ha!  It is fun to talk!

An entrance to Orvieto lies at the top of the lane, up a steep cobblestone road.  There is also a fork in the path, where we can stay at this level and continue on, but whoever said this would only take 1 ½ hours either ran or can’t tell time!  It’s been almost 90 minutes and we’re not even halfway around!  No way.  And we’re not continuing on either – we’re making our exit at the Porta Soliana – which actually is a really cool gate into the city.  Lots of picturesque views here of the actual gate with its mammoth carved archways and the view out into the countryside beyond it.

It is also pretty neat that as you walk through you can see just how thick they built the wall around the city.  It’s got two layers of stone walls connected at the top with at least 5 feet of space in between.  Really massive.

On the other side of the gate is the pretty park with ponds and fountains and even more views out across the countryside.  Oh, and the requisite grumpy old Italian man sitting on the park bench out front!

We traverse the town on Corso Cavour, looking at all the restaurants over on this side of town, then continuing heading to the Duomo for – yes – porchetta!  It is a little early for lunch, just before noon, but no matter – Antica Bottega Al Duomo is open and there is a table right out front for us (a new addition since COVID).  We plop down, order our beer and wine along with a salad topped with ham and of course – our porchetta sandwich.  And of course, our meal is finished off with the biscotti and sweet wine, brought to the table compliments of the house. Everything as delicious as always!  Happy sigh.

The only glitch is that when the bill comes, they’ve overcharged.  There is an added entrée or something, but we didn’t see it until they’ve already run the credit card.  It only means I have to go inside and have them void the charges and re-charge correctly – no biggie – and I get to see Pippo, who is lounging about inside, sniffling his head off without a mask.  Yeah.  Well.  What can I say?

Happily, we wander back toward the apartment, exploring the alley where the olive wood guy used to be, but he is obviously no more (even though there is still a sign at the beginning of the alley).  Then we return to our little abode to spend a relaxing afternoon on the balcony, looking out at the stone houses and tiled roofs stretching before us.

This afternoon we are doing something relatively touristy – a wine tasting and “cellar” tour at the Cantina Foresi, a family-owned cantina and winery dating back to 1953.  We’ve passed this place numerous times, it’s right on the Duomo square, but never stopped.  We found a deal on VRBO of all things – they sent us a notice of things to do in Orvieto, and we saw this and thought, well, why not?

Thus, we retrace our steps back to the Duomo to meet our host for the afternoon, Alexander, who is manning the shop with Mama.  Alexander takes us down to the wine cellar where this all began just about 70 years ago.    He explains how the wine used to be made in the huge, old terracotta vats and stored in the old wooden barrels.  There are racks and racks of old cobweb covered wine bottles down here too.  Some have turned to vinegar, but some he says are fabulous.  They always try one bottle on special occasions, birthdays, weddings, births, etc., then mark them with a label and cover the bottle neck in plastic to remember what it was and how it tasted.  What a lovely tradition! 

Alexander explains that it was his grandfather who began the vineyards and winery, and that he and his wife are continuing the tradition.  The vineyards are outside of town a bit, as well as all the production now. But they have kept the cantina and enoteca here to sell the wine, along with typical Umbrian products and food.  Climbing back up the teeny staircase (almost ladder-like) with the rails that used to be used to roll the barrels up to ground level, we take our place at a table on the plaza overlooking the Duomo to begin our wine and snacks tasting.

Snacks! Ha! This becomes a full meal – definitely enough for dinner.  Alexander – while juggling all his other duties including serving another huge table of 8 twenty-somethings who are obviously local and know he and mama – also deftly prepares our snacks and wine.  First up, Orvieto Classico of course!  It is fantastic, and paired with a selection of meats, cheese and bread with olive oil and the most delectable Quince jam (homemade and totally yummy) – it is the perfect afternoon/evening nibble.

Next up, a lovely red wine – and coming from me, that is high compliments.  I actually enjoyed it very much, along with a surprise dish of Porchetta!  Yay! Yum!  Yeah, we’ll never turn down porchetta!

The last course is the sweet course, with biscotti (of course) and these yummy chocolate fruit and nut things that are dipped into the sweet liqueur Alexander serves us.  Perfectly wonderful.  We linger over the last of our cookies and après-snacks drink, then finally tear ourselves away, but not before buying a bottle of Orivieto Classico and being “gifted” a cute oversized postcard from the cantina to remind us of our visit.  Thoroughly enjoyable and fun.

Back at the apartment, we just hang out relaxing, snacking a teeny bit on bread later in the evening, but otherwise, quite content to just hang out and watch the night take over from our little balcony above the town.