It's neat how that happens. I'd say the same thing about my last two
ABD's. Something I wasn't expecting to be very interesting turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip!
It really is! I really didn't know what to expect going into our trip, but I definitely didn't think a little shopping town would top the list of favorites.
that toy store sounds really neat but I could see that much of Giuseppe being a bit too much
wow, that is pretty cheap for pizza! ... probably the best food value ever on any trip connected, even remotely, to Disney
That looks like a lot of steps up that bell tower - almost get a bit dizzy just looking at the picture!
The pictures you took looking at the back of the clock were very cool, and a decent view from the top I'd say
Glad you enjoyed your time there - bummer about the stores closing though. I think I might pack up and head home for a nap today ... seems like a good idea!
Giuseppe definitely put on the hard sell! It was interesting to have such an experience with a local who barely spoke English.
We were SHOCKED at the price of that pizza! And it was delicious! Absolutely the cheapest "Disney" food I have ever seen.
Oh man, there were SO. MANY. STEPS. And that was only the beginning of the stairs we would encounter on the trip. My legs were on fire! But no matter how much I griped the whole way up, the view from the top was worth it every single time!
Can you even imagine stores in American closing up for 2-3 hours in the afternoon for lunch & a siesta?!
There would be riots!!
Even though you didn't buy anything, MY GOD that Toy Store looks sounds fun!!! Plus, kinda hard to argue against the dreams into reality mantra.
Pizza by weight? Hmm, that's interesting and would probably cost me a fortune if adopted here.
I won't lie, I'd be looking for the fireman's pole on the descent.
I think that little town would be a highlight to me as well. Yes, seeing the big "tourist" stuff is great, but a taste of "real" life is always so appealing to me. It's why I like the Amazing Race so much, lol.
It was VERY interesting to check out all of the stuff he had there. He didn't allow photos, or DH would have taken a lot. One of the guides must have buttered him up to get that photo of Giuseppe and Kathy! The dreams into reality was so endearing and sweet.
Well, it definitely wouldn't be as cheap, I'm sure, if pizza by the weight was adopted here.
A quicker way down would have been most welcome. Those stairs were a beast.
An elevator for the way up would have been even better!
Amazing Race actually went to Orvieto! The pit stop was in front of the Duomo and you could even catch a glimpse of the pottery shop Kevin & John are such big fans of.
That was pretty cool to go back and watch now having been there myself. DH and I like to stay busy on vacation and like to try to squeeze in as much as we can, so we didn't think a more laid-back kind of place like Orvieto would be for us. But it was an amazing experience!
I had fallen a bit behind, but all caught up now!
Everything is just soooo beautiful!
I can absolutely see why Orvieto became a highlight of your trip.
No worries, glad to see you!
It really, really is. It's such an incredible experience to be surrounded by beauty nearly everywhere you turn. I just wanted to commit every single thing I saw to memory, but of course that is impossible.
Orvieto was fantastic, and just the thing to do and see after a busy city like Rome. Definitely set the pace for the rest of the trip too, as the rest of the cities were a lot slower paced than Rome.
I am just about to pull the trigger and book this ABD for next summer... Thx for such a detailed trip report!
You're welcome! I'm glad you're enjoying it, and I don't think you will regret booking a Viva in the least. It was such an amazing experience!
Whew, you posted a lot of updates while I was gone!
All caught up and enjoyed all of the beautiful sights, from the Vatican to the small town. That's one thing I really remember about our Italian honeymoon - cats everywhere! Also, this report has made me really hungry for a late night snack.
I'm definitely posting at a much quicker pace than usual, because it was such a long trip and we took SO many photos! And we have a year packed with Disney trips coming up next year, so I want to be sure I am done with this one first before starting any Disney TRs.
I am definitely a cat person, so seeing all of the kitties in Orvieto was such a nice surprise! Especially that we met one so friendly right off the bat.
I find I get hungry a LOT when I am posting these updates and seeing the food photos.
Wow. 3 centuries to build a cathedral??? Incredible! But it appears to have been well worth the effort. The detail is insane!!! And thanks to Dustin for taking another photo he wasn't supposed to take. Even if the angles are slightly off and you can't tell what you're really looking at, there's something that I like about them almost more than the perfectly lit and framed ones.
The shopping looks very interesting. From the proposed contents of the jars to the time at the toy shop with Guiseppe. Even though when I was reading it I kept wanting to read it as Geppetto for some reason.
I think you made a great choice going for some pizza on the go so you could check out some more of the town. But you know I've got to ask how good the cheap pizza was?
Looks like a great stop in a beautiful town. I have to agree with your comments based on the pictures. It definitely looks like some small, Italian countryside town from a movie or something.
It was totally awe-inspiring to see all of the detail that went into such a huge building! It is really hard to wrap your mind around a church taking 300 years to build. Dustin was incredibly slick with those sneaky photos because I was standing right next to him and didn't notice it at either place.
There were definitely some
interesting shops to check out...we forgot to get a photo inside of the one full of medieval weapons and armor!
The cheap pizza was REALLY good!! We were very proud of our good find that we found something portable, cheap, and really tasty for lunch so that we could spend more time exploring instead of spending over an hour at a meal.
It really was, and it was so nice to get to experience that since we were traveling to three heavily populated cities that are full of tourists all year round.
