Trip to Italy | Part II: Orvieto + Siena, Italy | Tuscany
Italy: Tuscany | Part II: Orvieto & Siena, Italy
After a few days in Rome (Click here if you missed Part I: Rome), we began to travel North along the West coast of Italy. The next four days that we spent traveling through Tuscany were my favorite parts of the whole trip! I felt so at home in Tuscany. I really loved everything about Italy but Tuscany, in particular, was a dream. The way the birds chirped in the morning dawn, the smells of the fresh air, the scenic views that seemed straight out of a movie and the delightful food!! It was all heavenly.
Orvieto and Siena were the first towns we visited while traveling through Tuscany. Both of these places were magical. Orvieto was first and it set the bar high! I fell in love with this place. It felt straight out of a fairytale and was so peaceful. After lunch in Orvieto, we headed to Siena! Siena was a much larger city with lots of shops and amazing architecture.
Orvieto, Italy
Our first stop was in this little town built on a steep bluff of volcanic rock called Orvieto. From the moment I stepped foot in this charming little town that felt straight out of a fairytale, I was in LOVE. Visiting Orvieto was my favorite part of the entire trip. I have a goal to retire there one day.
Orvieto was annexed by Rome in the third century BC. Because of its high site on a steep bluff of volcanic rock, the city was virtually impregnable. It was the last conquered by Julius Caesar.
I bought an awesome olive wood cutting board here! Then we had a quick and amazing lunch at L'Oste del Re! We had a wild boar pasta dish and it was the best dish we had in all of Italy! Highly recommend this place!
Orvieto Cathedral
Siena, Italy
After spending the morning in Orvieto, we traveled to Siena where we spent the rest of the day. Siena was another breathtaking town, it was a lot bigger than Orvieto but still so charming! We had our first group dinner in Siena and it was INCREDIBLE!! We stayed in Siena for the night in a gorgeous hotel that was surrounded by Olive trees. Their soap was even made with olive oil and was amazing. This whole second day of the tour was my favorite! From beginning to end it was perfection.
Siena Cathedral
Siena Cathedral is a medieval church and if you noticed looks very similar to the cathedral in Orvieto!
Some of my favorite portraits from the entire trip! Thank you so much, Alexa Sedge for these amazing photos!
The Torre del Mangia
Built from 1338-1348, it is located in the Piazza del Campo, Siena's main square, near the Palazzo Pubblico. When it was built it was one of the tallest towers in medieval Italy.
Molly (red scarf) was notorious for losing track of time... and her whereabouts! She was almost always the last one to our meeting points. This time Molly was only a few minutes late, so we applauded as she joined us again! Miss you Molly! Then we had a delicious 4-course dinner at Gallo Nero! This restaurant was amazing! The dining area was surrounded by brick and dimly lit. The food was incredible too! Thanks for this photo too Alexa! Vino! Salut!Look at that pasta! Then it was time to rest after a long day. We checked into the Degli Ulivi Hotel in Siena, Italy. This was our favorite hotel and we wish we were able to stay there longer than one night. It was a beautiful hotel, surrounded by olive trees!