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EUROPE | ORVIETO {MY FAVORITE PLACE IN ITALY}

So many people have been asking me, “What is your favorite place you visited during your trip?”. My first thought goes to Orvieto. Many of you have probably never heard of it, but that’s exactly why I LOVE it. It’s nothing like Rome, Sienna, or Milan. I enjoyed Rome, but if I’m honest, it was still too touristy for my taste. Orvieto, on the other hand, is exactly what I had in mind for Italy. It’s the local experience, cobblestone roads, narrow alleys, and authentic food. This is the one place we actually talked with several locals, which I would rather do than go see famous paintings/structures (I know, sounds terrible, but it’s the truth).

When we arrived in Orvieto, we had to take Funicolare up to the city because the town sits up on a hill. The moment I stepped foot onto the cobblestone road, I could not believe my eyes. First, we saw the Duomo, which is a cathedral. It was beautiful. At first, we could not find our way to our Bed & Breakfast so we asked a woman in a local shop, who was extremely friendly an assisted us into the right direction. She knew our host, which I loved how everyone knew everyone. Our host met us at her front door & we instantly fell in LOVE with Sabrina. She has such a fun personality, so sweet & has the most ADORABLE bed & breakfast waiting on us. I can’t wait for you to see these pictures. Once we got settled in, we changed & went to explore the cutest town of all Italy.

First, we enjoyed gelato with cream on top. We always found ourselves eating sweets before meats, but that’s also because the Italians do not eat dinner until late. Before dinner, we met a high school student who spoke very good English. We asked a lot about the culture & then asked him to take some pictures of us together since we usually can only do one at a time. Then, off to dinner we went.

The next morning, Sabrina had breakfast for us in her home. It was all delicious. You can enjoy those photos below. We simply love this lady & highly recommend visiting Orvieto & staying at her B&B. After breakfast, we went to meet a local leather craftsman, Federico. His work is AMAZING!!! We stayed in his shop for about an hour watching him work & talk about his career. He makes one pair of shoes a week because he carefully crafts them from start to finish. How awesome is that? I remember him making the comment, “I don’t want to be rich, I just want to be able to eat.” I thought to myself, what an amazing outlook. He has such talent & continues to keep his work within his reach. He does not outsource, where factories are making his shoes by the number. Instead, they are crafted by him from start to finish. We learned his wife is from Columbus, Ohio, which is simply epic!! His wife & mom help craft other items in the shop. I ended up buying something his wife made, which I adore. He walked us next door to treat us to a cappuccino, where we met his friend, Anthony. We shopped around a little more & eventually love our beloved Orvieto!!!

This is what we rode up to Orvieto

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