My husband and I will spend a day with friends in Orvieto, Italy, during the first week of August. Any recommendations for the best way to spend our time there? We'd also love a recommendation for a lunch spot.

That's a very individual thing, and we don't know anything at all about your interests. Could you give a few hints?

bvlenchi, this will be very early in our visit to Italy, so we won't have tired of anything. All of us have interest in history and archaeology. Some of us have interest in religious architecture. We're all interested in local art or craft. We all love wine. Any suggestions would be welcome!

I enjoyed seeing the Duomo, wandering around the town and shops, and seeing the views. Had a lovely lunch but sorry can't remember where!!

Hi kvonkeller,

I spent the day with a (very, very knowledgeable) guide and a friend in Orvieto in May -- had an amazing time just poking around the town, as annw notes.

The guide (who spends the off-season researching/sampling restaurants) recommended the Enoteca al Duoma Osteria Enoteca Wine Bar, and we loved it! Food was amazing, atmosphere was great, wine (as in all Umbria) was amazing.

Have fun as you plan!

s

I stayed in Orvieto more as a base to visit Civita di Bagnoregio, but had enough time to walk all around the wall and visit Duomo and the main streets. One restaurant I liked was Trattoria del Moro Aronne. It is a tiny trattoria. You need a reservation even for lunch. Another place I had lunch, Pergola, was ok if you did not make a reservation at more popular places.

Early in the morning, Orvieto was shrouded in fog. There was a moment just when the fog cleared off that provided a few seconds of photo time with tall towers in the valley below sticking out of the fog.

We bought some really nice ceramic olive oil and vinegar bottles and olive fishes that matched. They shipped everything to us. It was called Art Shop at 28 via del Duomo. Also, we found a man who sold the prettiest wooden bread boards, mortar and pestles, etc....I don't have the name of the shop unfortunately.

There is a good gelato shop next to the Duomo. If you are facing the church, it is to the left of the church.

The Duomo of Orvieto is a real gem, one of the few major churches in the Italian Gothic style.

There are tours of Underground Orvieto, which I've never done, because when we were there, they didn't exist. The city is built on a hill of soft tufa rock, which hardens when exposed to air. Over the centuries, people have carved out tunnels, canteens, and storage spaces under the city, and the tours allow you to visit them.

St. Patrick's Well (Pozzo di San Patrizio) is an interesting 16th century structure that has a double helix staircase going down to the well head, and returning to the surface by a different stair. It was designed so that mules employed to bring the water to the surface could make the round trip without being distracted by mules going in the opposite direction.

Orvieto was an Etruscan city in pre-Roman times, and the archaeological museum has various relics found in the tombs and temples in the vicinity.

There is a ceramics industry in the area, and many shops sell the products of local workshops.