Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
€€
(Via Ripa
Serancia, 41;
%
0763-343276; www.ristoranti-orvieto.it; Tues-Sun),
where you'll
descend a long stairway into this “cave of the rope maker,” walking under stone
arches through the extensive wine storage/tasting area and past the open wood-
fire stoves to the long room containing a dozen dining tables. Kids will like the
hidden bat-cave feel of the place, as well as the pizzas (listed only in Italian), which
cost around
Three stars for ambience go to
Le Grotte del Funaro
5
9
€
€
12, and the
funaro
version
of local
umbrichelli
pasta at
€
10. Overall, pastas range from
€
9 to
€
14, and
grilled
secondi
meat dishes go from
7. I like the local mixed grill for about
€
€
18. Service is on the border-
line between relaxed and just plain slow, but most waiters speak English.
10 to about
€€
For a rather basic but friendly restaurant popular with both locals and
tourists, you may want to try
Trattoria dell'Orso
(Via della Misericordia, 16-18;
%
0763-341642; Wed-Sun),
where chef Gabriele di Giandomenico serves fresh
country-style meals, including a delicious vegetable-and-mushroom tagliatelle for
€
€
9.50 with local truffles). The game hen in a bed of polenta is mouthwater-
ing.
Primi
run
€
7 to
€
11,
secondi
€
10 to
€
15.
7 (
€€
An interesting (but slightly pricey) Art Deco take on an Umbrian restau-
rant is the
Zeppelin Ristorante
(Via Garabaldi, 28;
%
0763-341447).
The name
comes from the fact that this converted warehouse is long and narrow with a
rounded ceiling and windows on the side, sort of like a . . . zeppelin. The grilled
wild boar with sage and tomatoes is delicious (
€
15), as is the spaghetti
alla
norcina,
with truffles, garlic, and anchovies (
€
12). A first course will run you
from
€
€
€
€
18. Lorenzo Polegri also
presents very popular cooking courses, lasting from a day to a week (www.cooking
initaly.it).
WHY YOU'RE HERE: THE TOP SIGHTS & ATTRACTIONS
Orvieto's Cathedral, the
Duomo
11 to
15, grilled second dishes from
12 to
555
(free admission,
€
1 for brief history
recording; 7am-1pm and 2:30-7pm, sometimes closes 1 hr. earlier or later),
both
inside and out, deserves its status as one of the indispensable attractions of Italy.
Even from kilometers outside the city, you can see its spires reaching above the
plateau like the control towers of a massive ship. Up close, the square can hardly
contain the massive structure (and unless your camera has a wide-angle lens, your
photos won't either).
The front of the Duomo is awe-inspiring. The afternoon sun reflects off a
dozen golden mosaics as if a holy light were shining down on you. (The original
tiles, moved to Rome, were replaced in the 1800s with the equally shiny ones seen
today.) In medieval times, the sick and the lame would have assembled at the
church doors to beg for alms.
The Duomo's famed attraction is
Luca Signorelli's
Last Judgment
fresco
painted from 1499 to 1504 on the walls and ceiling of the
Cappella San Brizio
(
Chapel of San Brizio;
€
4 or free with Carta Unica; Jan-Feb and Nov-Dec week-
days 10am-12:45pm and 2:30-5:15pm, Mar and Oct weekdays closes 6:15pm,
Apr-Sept weekdays closes at 7:15pm, Oct-June Sun and holidays 2:30-5:45pm,
July-Sept Sun and holidays closes at 6:45pm).
It has recently been restored to its
original state, and visitors are required to pay a
€
4 admission fee. It's well worth
