This is the first time I’ve ever typed ‘LIMITED TIME OFFER’ but here goes…
A Week in Orvieto
Oct 25-Nov 1, 2024
WOW WOW WOW Ok this is an amazing opportunity. Y’all know the Villa is 7300/pp single occupancy for a week-long all inclusive package… and Rome is 6900. When you figure lodging, transportation, meals, tours and tickets, that’s a bargain, but this, this is remarkable.
IF WE BOOK THIS FAST, we can have a week in Orvieto (swoon!!) October 25-November 1, for $4750/pp, single occupancy. A WEEK. All inclusive for UNDER 5k (so you have souvenir money lol) and you don’t have to share a room. Want to share? Check this out: $4400/pp double occupancy. –Omg this is crazy special. Let’s do it. PM me on facebook messenger, or text me and let’s make it happen. I’m so excited to be able to offer this!! (Inclusive means lodging, transportation, meals, tickets, tours, but not airfare of course. Everyone has different needs for that, miles, memberships and preferences, so that part is up to you. Everything from the time you land until you walk back into the airport at the end of the week, that’s included!)
Orvieto is one of the most beautiful hill-top towns in Italy. An ancient hilltop walled city, it’s roots are Etruscan (they predated the Romans) from 800 BC. Mind boggling. The Romans invaded Orvieto in 264 BC. Evidence of Etruscan life is everywhere. This utterly charming town of winding cobblestone streets and breathtaking views has stories.
Ok. So. Your trip…
Includes:
Private transport from the international airport in Rome (FCO) directly to your hotel in Orvieto. That means a driver will be waiting for you, right outside baggage claim, with a sign with Your Name on it. You just walk up to him and say, “Yes!” and he will bring you to me.
Seven nights in the really lovely Hotel Duomo, Posta, or Valentino in Orvieto – private rooms, no double occupancy required. Transportation, meals, tips, tickets and tours, daily plans and escort. Wines. Coffees. Seriously. You’ll have to arrange your own flight, and buy your own souvenirs. But that’s it – you don’t have to research, organize, reserve, plan, and your budget is fixed. Like a dream come true!
Itinerary (subject to rearrangement to accommodate the weather and your wishes)
Thursday-Oct 25, Day 0: Depart for Italy! (Overnight flight)
Friday, Day 1: Your private driver greets your flight. Arrive in Orvieto, settle into your hotel, and then meet me in the lobby. We will have a little orientation walkabout, and enjoy an authentic Italian dinner in a great little diner. We will finish with wine in the piazza, and since you’ll still be feeling the rigors of overnight travel and the time difference, we will make it an early night.
Saturday, Day 2: Enjoy a light breakfast in the pretty hotel dining room – do ask for ‘un cappuccino, per favore’ or an espresso, if you prefer! I’ll meet you there, and we will spend the morning visiting the incredible Duomo (Cathedral built for the pope beginning in 1290 as response to a miracle, and took 300 years to complete!) which contains work by Fra Angelico and Signorelli (inspiration for Michelangelo’s Sistine work) and of course, the overwhelming facade with golden mosaics, bas relief, and rose window. You’ll need a moment to rest afterward! Saturday is market day in Orvieto and it’s a sight to see – for me, it’s fascinating to see vegetables I don’t recognize, and see what the locals are buying, as well as a little souvenir shopping. And we’re off to lunch.
After what may be the best pizza you ever tasted (feel free to order whatever you like, I’m having their pizza!) we will make our down Via dei Magoni (mago is ‘magician’) which is now called Via degli Artigiani (street of artisans) although the old name persists.
The artists working on this street merit both titles. I’m particularly fond of the olive wood workers (father and son) but the textiles and jewelry and majolica pottery are outstanding. I’ll leave you at this point for you to wander on your own or return to the hotel for a well-deserved rest. We’ll meet for aperitivo, and then you’re in for a special treat for dinner. On the way back to the hotel, there’s a tiny gelato shop where you’ll have some of the best ever. Don’t take my word for it – ask someone who has been there, or stop someone on the street in Orvieto, they’ll tell you: Pasqualetti.
Sunday, Day 3: And they’re off! Following your breakfast (be sure to indulge in the local ham and cheese or eggs or both, because you’ll want that protein) we are off to Civita di Bagnoregio! This is the ancient city you see at the end of a daunting footbridge, where only 11 people live year-round. Hey, if I can do it (as an overweight 67 year old, fully committed to my sedentary lifestyle) so can you. However! If you prefer to sit this one out, you can either have a morning on your own in Orvieto, or (and I highly recommend this) you can just enjoy a bench at the overlook. We will pack a little lunch for you, and if you sketch, this is a phenomenal opportunity to indulge. Walkers will have a bite to eat in the city, and then return.
It’s about a half hour ride back to Orvieto – through vineyards and olive groves and hazelnut trees and grazing sheep and tiny villages and a stop for a great photo op with the walled city of Orvieto in the background. After a pause to refresh yourselves at your hotel, we will meet up to head out to dinner in a CAVE. The Etruscans dug caves that are still used today. We are going to have dinner in one (fine dining). It’s an experience you won’t soon forget.
Monday, Day 4: Meet me in the breakfast room and then we are heading back to those caves – this time for a guided tour. It’s a step into history. The tour is about an hour, so you can return to the hotel to refresh. We will meet for lunch on the piazza, and make our way to an entirely different experience, a walk along the city walls! This should leave us quite prepared for an tasting of Orvieto wines, paired with wonderful Italian cheeses and meats and bread and olive oil, and we will just linger until no one can say what’s for dinner! Must be time for another gelato…
Tuesday, Day 5: After breakfast, we are going to have an adventure. We are going to Rome. (What? What?! Rome??!) Yup. We will take the shuttle from the piazza to the funicular and ride the funicular down to the train station. From there, the train is one hour to Rome. Arriving at Roma Termini, we’ll get a taxi to the Trevi Fountain. Seriously, why not? And a gelato. Because Italy. Then I’m going to walk you to my absolute favorite restaurant – you’ve all seen the photos – right smack dab in front of the Pantheon. You need to have cacio e pepe in Rome, once in your life. (It’s spaghetti with pecorino sheep’s cheese and black pepper. Trust me. It is sublime. And quintessentially Roman. If you choose to order something else, please feel free!) It’s time for some art and some fountains and some shopping. A coffee at the renowned Sant’Eustachio. Once you’ve had a bit of Bernini and Michelangelo and Rafael and Caravaggio, and espresso and gelato and pasta, we will taxi back to the train station, return to Orvieto, and head for the hotel. It’s a good day to grab something simple for supper – and time to find out what Mamma has cooked at Cantina Foresi. (My favorite thing there is her frittata in pomodoro.) Another glass of good Orvieto wine and we will sleep like babies.
Wednesday, Day 6: Surely you’re tired of my face, and would like a little down time. Enjoy your breakfast and a walkabout, get some pictures, update facebook, write in your journal, sketch the Duomo, or revisit favorites in Orvieto, and I’ll meet you back at the hotel lobby and we will walk to a nearby restaurant for a light lunch. (This is a good morning for St Patrick’s Well for those of you interested.) Why light? Because today, we are going to tour a winery and stay for supper!
Thursday, Day 7: I’ll leave you alone this morning to start packing for Friday’s flight, and do some last minute gift shopping.
We will have lunch together and then this afternoon, we are going to an olive oil tasting at Frantoio Bartolomei. Now, we are going to have encountered lots of olive oil moments, during this week together, because it’s harvest time and the ‘new oil’ is in. Italians know this is the absolute best oil at the absolute best time of year. Unlike wine and balsamic vinegar, time is not olive oil’s friend. Freshest is best. The first time I stayed in Orvieto, a restaurant owner had befriended me. When I ordered dinner, he came with a basket of bread and whispered, “It’s the new oil!” and slipped a tiny bottle onto my table. This was not on other people’s tables, it was uniquely for me, so I knew it was going to be special. I was blown away.
The tiny bottle was labeled Bartolomei. You are in for a fantastic treat. So if it’s so special, why save it for the last day? Because you’re going to want to figure out how to get some of this stuff home, that’s why. (Here’s what I did: I checked my carry-on for the flight home. That way, I could stuff every nook of my suitcase with olive oil bottles – all sealed in ziplock bags I thoughtfully brought with me. My purse came out of my suitcase and my ‘personal item’ became my carry on. Another option, of course, is to purchase a case and have it shipped home.) Anyway. That’s your afternoon, ladies.
And now, one last treat: it’s Thursday night, it’s F3BO! A little youthful, a little edgy, modern meets tradition, F3BO boasts some of the best talent in a kitchen I’ve come across in a very long time. Craft cocktails and a menu full of interesting twists on traditional fare, the staff is excited to be there, proud of their establishment, and it really shows in the service and the food.
And if you’re up for it, as we meander back to the hotel, maybe just one more gelato. For the road. Because, you know, Italy.
Friday-Nov 1, Day 8: The taxi will arrive to collect you and your bags and make the drive back to airport. Arrivaderci, and I’ll see you stateside.
—This one has to be booked within the next few days to get these deals.
Tell your friends. Max 6 participants.
Single: $4750/inclusive
Double Occupancy: $4400/inclusive
(does not include airfare or souvenir shopping)
Oct 26-Nov 1.
(Book your flight for Oct 25, because you land the next day.)
Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, personal check.
