Postcard #6: Orvieto

Aloha mai kākou!Hi friends!! I hope you’re all doing well.

Recently, I took a day trip to Orvieto, a small town in Umbria, and it ended up being one of my favorite days so far. It felt completely different from Florence. There were way less tourists, and way more Italian being spoken. It felt like what you picture when you think of "Italy." Quiet streets, beautiful views, and just a slower pace overall.

I originally went because I wanted to try lumachelle, a savory pastry with cheese and meat rolled into a spiral shape… but of course I went at the exact time everything was closed before dinner. So that didn’t happen. However, I did get to see the Duomo di Orvieto (which was insanely beautiful, the pictures don't do it justice), eat gelato, pasta, and tiramisu, as well as see beautiful views.

Also, like Rome, my phone died. This time, it was a little after I got off the train…

So there I was, navigating a new place without google maps (I was so sad I couldn't see all the places I saved to visit). Thankfully the town was small, so I was able to memorize the main streets pretty quickly as I walked. However, trying to find my way back to the funicolare with no phone and no on-hand map was pretty stressful. I was literally checking the time on my Kindle and digi cam.

But somehow, it worked out. There were maps (signs that says "you are here" in Italian) around the town, and since everything is on a hill, you kind of just keep going down and eventually find your way. I did have to ask a couple of older locals for help, and even though they didn’t speak English, they were so kind and tried their best to help me. Turns out I took the longer and more scenic route when I was rushing to get back to the train station, oh well. I will say, Orvieto ended up being the best place to get lost.

More than anything, it felt really nice to get out of the city. Seeing mountains, trees, and open space again made me so happy. I didn’t realize how much I needed that.

Moral of the story: Even when things don’t go as planned, you’ll usually end up exactly where you need to be.

Until then, stay tuned for my next postcard from Alisha Abroad.

A hui hou.

P.S. If you want to see pictures from this postcard, click HERE. I’ve run out of storage on my site, and I refuse to pay for Wix premium, so we’re improvising.