Orvieto visit
 

Just wanted to post this seperately as well for all of you in the planning stages.

THERE IS NO LUGGAGE STORAGE AT THE TRAIN STATION IN ORVIETO.

We heard that this is true now for most of the hill towns. Please check this carefully.

We were very frustrated when we arrived because we read in Rick Steve's book and were told on the phone by one of his staff that we COULD store our luggage there. NO ONE in that station spoke English and it took us about 20 minutes to find someone to help.

We finally ended up going to the hotel across the street and paying them to keep our luggage for the day. It was money well spent because you would have a difficult time doing much dragging your bags behind you. And Orvieto is a GREAT town. Definately eat at Il Sette Consoli, one of the best meals of our trip.

Hope this helps everyone else avoid some frustration!

Thanks for the info.
We plan to stop in Orvieto for a few hours on the way to Rome, and were wondering if the train station had luggage storage.
What is the name of the hotel were you stored your luggage?

Thanks,
Greg

Volgreg,

Be sure to get to Orvieto early enough to take the underground tour. Facinating!

Buon viaggio!

This must be a fairly new thing, because my friends and I stored luggage there on a trip 4 years ago. (We badly planned everything else about our stop in Orvieto, having bought our train tickets before we found out the car rental place (where we were to return our car before taking the train to Rome) was closed for two hours for lunch, so by the time we'd gotten to the top of the funicular we had to eat lunch immediately and get back down to return our car and make the train. Typical vacation blunder!)

The hotel was Europa. It is across the street from the train station (to the left).

motor_city_girl - thanks for the info.

Dayle - What time does the underground tour start?

Doriana - "This must be a fairly new thing, because my friends and I stored luggage there on a trip 4 years ago." Stored where - the train terminal or the hotel?

Again Thanks
Greg

We stored luggage at the train terminal 4 years ago.

Volgreg,

It was 5 years ago, but I believe they offered an English speaking tour 2 x daily. I think one at 10 am and one in the afternoon. I would contact the Orvieto visitor's office to be sure and also to make sure you get tickets in advance. Groups are limited.

Buon viaggio!

What is the big draw to Orvieto? It sounds like a nice and easy day trip from Rome?

It is an easy daytrip from Rome. As mentioned above, don't miss the underground tour of the Etruscan caves.

Hi 333,

See http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/orvieto.html

The underground tours are offered in Enlgish at 12 PM and 5 PM. It was very interesting.

The big draw for Orvieto is that it offers beautiful views (it is literally a cliff), it has great food (I Sette Consoli), famous wine (Classico), amazing Duomo, good shopping, and friendly people. It is also very easy to get to.

And may I also say, it is a charming town to stroll around, there are LOTS of good restaurants, and some of the very best gelato in Italy (to the left of the duomo).

Again Thanks to all. Saved this thread to apply on my itenarary


ira – great link, thanks

motor city girl – our Italy Daytrips book say tours at 10:00am and noon. We plan to arrive early from Florence to enjoy one of those tours, and thanks for the wine & food recommendations.

Greg

Ira, I want the numbers for saturdays lottery. Remember Johnny Carsons bit with the turbin;was the characters name Kornac? Again I tip my hat to you...

VolGreg...it is always possible times change. We were just there in April, but better to be safe than sorry. I will say that we went at 11 AM on the Italian tour because of our lunch reservations. We lucked out because there was only one other family on the tour that spoke a little Enlish. They had two kids who kept having meltdowns (NOT a trip for kids!) and the guide spoke to us in English while they distracted their kids with cookies! LOL, but actually the tour is so pretty I am not sure you have to have the spoken part. Enjoy!

Marilyn is right about there being LOTS of great restaurants but if you are looking for an EXPERIENCE not just a good meal, you should try I Sette Consoli. Ask ira if you don't believe me!

The draw of Orvieto? Many! If you are lucky enough to drive to Orvieto and see the mosaic fasade of the Duomo glowing in the sunlight at the top of the tufa- you'll know!

My favorite impression of Orvieto was the contrast of a very hip, modern city inside an ancient covering. You have the narrow, cobblestone streets lined with modern art galleries and wine shops. Excellent restaurants and interesting shops. You find an internet cafe or a totally amazing, up to the minute Italian design, home furnishings shop inside an ancient stone building.

We stayed for 3 nights in Orvieto and did day trips from there. Great town to stay overnight in and to enjoy the passagiatta with the residents. At night, we felt like the only tourists.

Besides the underground tour, there is a very interesting Etruscan tomb archeological site, the historic well, very nice people.

Civita di Bagnoreggio is also a short drive from Orvieto and well worth a 1/2 day visit.

Buon viaggio!

Hi Lil,

Thanks for the kind words.

Carnac The Magnificent.

((I))

I am trying to get a little more informantion on Orvieto. We are thinking about an overnight trip. We will be arriving from Rome by train. Does anyone have any advice on where to stay? (Hotel Duomo?) We will be walking so would like a hotel convenient to the shops and restaurants. Thank you .

Hotel Duomo will try charge you in US DOLLARS if you're not on your toes, this is called Dynamic Currency Conversion and definitely does not benefit you, the consumer. Either verify before they swipe your credit card or pay in cash in EURO. If you haven't been following the threads on this, type <dynamic currency> (without the carets) into the search box at the top of the page to ensure you understand it before you go to Italy. In my three-week trip this spring, the Hotel Duomo was the only place I encountered this despicable (and probably illegal) practice. Otherwise the hotel was fine and I'd stay there again, but I wouldn't tolerate being charged in USD.

I find it very interesting that you can't leave your luggage. WHen we were there in October of 2002 we were able to. There was a left luggage sign on the platform. We had to ask at the ticket counter and they directed us to talk to the police officer supervising the station. He was able to open the left luggage room and we left our bags for the day. They made certain that we knew that everyone went on lunch from 12 to 2 and so we wouldn't be able to pick our stuff up during that time.

Has the official policy been changed? When you were they had they taken down the luggage sign from the platform?

Thank you for the heads up , Betsy. Is the hotel Duomo conveniently located for a first time trip to Orvieto?

The hotel is in a great location near the Duomo. It doesn't have a view of the Duomo from the rooms, but as soon as you step out the front door and look up the short flight of stone steps to the right, there it is!

Palazzo Piccolomini is a lovely small hotel in Orvieto. I've stayed there twice. The location is near the escalator coming up from the parking area "underneath." It's at the opposite end from the funicular, if you are arriving in Orvieto from the train station though. You would have to carry or pull your bags a little ways. But it's a very nice hotel.
Carol

We also stayed at Plazzo Piccolomini and thought it was very nice. We were driving, but we parked in the parking structure and the hotel came and picked us up with our light luggage. There is also a town shuttle bus which I'm sure you could catch from the funicular.

Buon viaggio!

The Gambero Rosso website lists this information for Orvieto:

Orvieto. Town Hall Via Garibaldi 8, tel. 0763 061, Tourist Office tel. 0763 341 772, 0763 341 911, 0763. 343 658, 0763 344 433.

It might be worth calling to see if there is indeed a left luggage facility, and for current hours of the underground tour.

The Italian National Tourist Office in New York (or London, or wherever you are) might be able to provide an email address for tourist information. I didn't come up with one, but only looked for a moment.

Matrexx and tuscan...believe me! There is no luggage storage at the train station in Orvieto. In RS's 2004 book, it says there is. Unfortunately, we did not buy his 2005 book before our trip this past April.

So, we went on the assumption that his book was correct. Arrived at the station in AM and spend 20 minutes trying to find the left luggage area. NO ONE spoke English. Finally, a local who did took pity on us and spoke to the people at the ticket counter and to news stand.

They told him that they don't store luggage any more because of hassels with the local police. Something about them wanting to be able to go through the bags and visitors being angry about it.

This local was the one who suggested we try to pay one of the hotels to watch our bags.

So, I know this to be true from first hand experience. Sorry, still alittle raw from this experience. The thing that was even more frustrating is that we actually paid for a phone consult with one of RS's staff and he told me that there was still luggage storage there! Money well spent, NOT!

Good luck with your trips everyone! And please don't miss Orvieto. We loved our day there once the luggage situation was resolved.

Orvieto is a wonderful town to spend time in. We stayed at Piccolomini four nights, had a car, and used Orvieto as a base for some day trips.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time there. There are many good restaurants and lots of interesting shops, plus a great view from high on the hill.
I would agree with leaving the car in the lower parking and arranging for the hotel to pick you us, or drive in, drop bags, and then let the hotel park your car. The streets are VERY NARROW and winding, and it is easy to make a wrong turn and get lost. (I won't go into the slight "mishap" w/rental car) LOL Lucky for us, DH had added on insurance! We breathed a big sigh of relief once we made it down the hill and onto the main road again.
Carol

Hi motor_city_girl. Thanks for the info. I am planning a trip next summer w/ our 2 girls ( ages 10 & 15 ). Based on all of the above tips I think I'll guess the answer to this question but I'm wondering if you think 2 nights in Orvieto would be time well spent ( vs. only 1 )? Thanks for any feedback.

oops - me again. I also meant to ask - I'm trying to decide if we should arrive via train or rental car. We'll be flying into Rome and I'm thinking of either heading directly to Orvieto or visiting there upon our return to Rome from the Amalfi Coast ( eventhough, in either case, I realize I'm going out of our way. Seems worth the visit tho).With the girls and some luggage, wondered if one mode of transport might make more sense than the other.Thx again for any comments.

If you are already renting a car, that may work better with two kids. We had no problem with train travel, and we took A LOT of luggage.

Two days with one over night in Orvieto is perfect. There were some school-aged kids there on a field trip and they all seem to be having fun. The underground tour was neat, I bet your girls would like that.

If you have a car, look into Albergo Rosati on the web. A few km south of the city. Large charming rooms and an elaborate cena that doesn't end until the grappa is gone.

Met some people there who spend THREE WEEKS there every year. Its that good.

Orvieto is a great place to pick up or drop off a car on your way to or from Rome and would save you the hassle of driving near Rome. I'd arrive in Rome and train to Orvieto, spend one or two nights there, and then pick up your car. Check out AutoEurope at www.autoeurope.com. AE is a broker that many people on this board have used with satisfaction. I believe they use Hertz in Orvieto. You'd pick up within easy walking distance of the base of the funicular. Limit the girls to one 22" bag each. See packing threads using the search function at the top of the page.

If you happen to pick up and/or drop off a car in Orvieto, Hertz is very close to the train station - and next to the funicular. They will watch your luggage at no charge.

As lovely as some of the places outside Orvieto are, I would definitely stay in the town itself if you will only be there one or two nights. Your girls will enjoy the evening stroll and all the activity in the main piazza.