Orvieto…of the famous Umbrian Duomo

We took to the van on Sunday to drive south from our Villa on the edge of Tuscany’s Cortona toward Rome and into Umbria.  Talk about a hill town, Orvieto is on a very high bluff made of Tufa stone….impenetrable, certainly from one side.  Popes used to visit in the 1200’s and they decided to build a very fancy cathedral to honor such a presence.  So, it’s a “must-see” kind of site.

They started building this place in 1290. Only took 300 years to finish.

It is positioned near the Tufa cliffs of the hill town; so you can see the Duomo from miles around.

This mosaic tile work was completed in the Renaissance period.

Vast spaces inside…with those same stripes we saw in southern Spain.

Later, we found a restaurant called “Zeppelin” for lunch.  It had been recommended by some good friends of Tim & Cindy’s who used owner/Chef Lorenzo to prepare a fiftieth wedding anniversary for his parents.

Chef Lorenzo is quite a personality. Claims the name is from Led Zeppelin. He’s a demonstration magician with food & patter. Excellent English; lives part time outside of Boston.

His cookbook is a story about his growing up in Baschi, Italy and, oh by the way, an occasional recipe. He gave us each a book and an apron for each family.