Exploring Umbria’s Hill Towns
Before Ron and I take a major trip, we like to prepare by reading books to learn about the region’s history or watching movies that give us a feel for the culture. To prepare for our 28-day trip to Europe last spring, we watched many YouTube travel videos. Rick Steves, a seasoned Seattle based travel guide, was a favorite. One of his travel suggestions was to purchase a postcard every day from the region you visited, writing a brief synopsis of the day on the card. This was a terrific idea since I find when I go to so many different places, distinguishing differences is challenging.
Today, I revisited postcards from a day-long taxi tour we took to three Umbria Region’s “hill towns”—Todi, Orvieto, and Civita di Bagnoregio.
Our traveling companions included a couple from Southern California and this single Italian woman. She spoke about as much English as we spoke Italian. We laughed a lot trying to communicate! Here I am with her and our taxi driver.
The rich agricultural land in the Umbrian hills felt mystical. Lovely terrain, perfect for contemplative pondering!
The region is famous for its fine wines.
Orvieto is said by some to be the most beautiful Umbrian Hill Town. I would have liked a bit more time to explore.
Built originally as a cathedral, this massive and magnificent structure sits at the center of Orvieto and is now a museum, which we did not have ample time to visit.
A typical street one might stroll along in a small Italian town. I absolutely love the vibrancy Ron captured with his camera.
Rick Steves calls Civita di Bagnoregio Italy’s “Jewel on a Hill.” It is a place I’ll always remember. The only way to reach Civita is by trekking up this steep path. Tourists must pay to enter the town, which is not customary but well worth every Euro spent. Built some 2500 years ago, we were told it is sometimes called the “Vanishing City” due to erosion of the massive rock on which it sits. Residents didn’t seem overly concerned as they tended lovely yards filled with beautiful flowers.
Today, after walking many steps and climbing 81 floors (as reported on my Fitbit), Ron and I felt entitled to our gelato and espresso break!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief glimpse of some of Italy’s lovely “hill towns,”
Blessings on your journey,
