Italy – Page 4 – VirtualWayfarer

BackpackingJuly 9, 2012April 26, 2013

The Fortress City – Orvieto, Umbria, Italy

My shoulders drifted forward slightly then slammed back into the padded bus seat as our forward momentum temporarily slowed and the driver slipped the bus into gear. We were crawling up a steep, winding road towards the fortress city of Orvieto. The road snaked away behind us winding down toward…

BackpackingJune 25, 2012June 25, 2012

Oasi di Alviano – Umbria’s Rich Nature Preserve

Situated a few miles outside of Orvieto and Terni the Oasi di Alviano, or the Oasis of Alviano, is a wonderful natural habitat and WWF Nature Reserve. Our visit started early in the morning after a somewhat groggy dep…

Friday Photo GalleryJune 22, 2012June 22, 2012

A Wheelbarrow Full of Flowers – Friday’s Weekly Travel Photo

I captured this photo just before sunset along a side street in the Italian town of Assisi which is located on a small mountain amidst the rolling fields of the rich Italian countryside. The winding streets of Assisi …

BackpackingJune 18, 2012June 13, 2012

10 Steps for Mastering the Art of Olive Oil Tasting

Wine tasting has become an integral part of travel and recreational culture. It is something most of us hunger to enjoy and which offers a complex set of fixed and casual rules and norms which can be more than a littl…

BackpackingMay 27, 2012May 27, 2012

Art, Architecture, Mummies, Food and Nuns in Citta della Pieve

The city of Citta della Pieve sits a few miles south of lake Trasimeno and to the west of the regional capital of Perugia. Perched on a hill 500 meters above sea level and overlooking the nearby valley, the city evolve…

TravelMay 24, 2012May 22, 2012

Fresh Food and an Italian Agriturismo

A few hundred (or perhaps thousand?) years ago the Italians figured out one simple truth: food is king. At the end of the day if you want to win someone over you can offer them riches and fame with mixed degrees of success OR you can skip all that and feed them with an abundance of amazing food. …

BackpackingMay 21, 2012

Young Wines and Ancient Fields

A trip to Umbria is incomplete without at least a few hours spent wandering the region's maze of wonderful country roads. While the Romans may be well remembered for giving us the sterile albeit easy to navigate Roman …

Friday Photo GalleryMay 18, 2012

Friday’s Weekly Travel Photo – Love That Lasts

I recently had the opportunity to spend an afternoon in the stunning hilltop city of Orvieto in the heart of Italy's Umbria region. Located in the province of Terni, Orvieto rests atop a natural rock mesa with imposing…

BackpackingMay 14, 2012May 14, 2012

Dinner and a Sunset in Assisi

For the three days of the conference, I found myself periodically staring out the window of my room over a perfectly manicured vineyard at the unusual city and ancient structures that dominated the nearby hillside. I f…

BackpackingMay 10, 2012May 9, 2012

A Visit To Picture Perfect Perugia With Ken Kaminesky

Nestled atop a prominent hilltop in the heart of Umbria about two hours north of Rome, the medieval city of Perugia stands constant vigil over ancient trade routes. The current capital of the region, Perugia has a lon…