Back in Rome, Italy once again

Hi my lovely friends hope you all doing wonderful these days. I am back in Rome, Italy once again! If you are new here we travel to Italy quite often because we are in the middle of renovating a 250 year old palace. We fly into Rome for a day or two and then we head to Casoli, Italy where our Palazzo is.

Today we traveled to a pretty little town called Orvieto that has some really interesting things that I can’t wait to share with you. Afterwards we drove to another town called Saturnia where we found some hot springs! It was such a fun day.

Orvieto in Southwestern Umbria

The town of Orvieto is rich history going back to Etruscan times. Plenty of pretty picturesque side streets free of tourist crowds, lots of charming architecture, and fantastic views of the countryside. Orvieto is definitely worth visiting.

We love exploring new little towns in Italy and Orvieto did not disappoint. The first thing we did is ride up the funicular to the top of the town square. Once up there we found the old fortress. There are lots of beautiful views from up there. It is always amazing to me to see how they built things so many years ago that have stood the test of time!

After seeing the views, we walked through the darling streets up to the Duomo. So many cute shops, restaurants.

The Duomo

I mean wow is all I can say. Orvieto Cathedral is a large 14th-century Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It was completed in 1591. There are mosaics representing the nativity, the baptism of Jesus, the assumption, the annunciation and other important religious moments. They are on the outside of the building and are spectacular.

The architecture of the building is awe inspiring. Once we were inside the cathedral we noticed they were setting up for something. Lots of lighting being set up for what we thought was for a movie. We found out that a very special musical performance was going to be broadcast nation wide there on Friday.

The architecture of the building is awe inspiring. Once we were inside the cathedral we noticed they were setting up for something. A big stage and lots of lighting being set up for what we thought was for a movie. We found out that a very special musical performance was going to be broadcast nation wide there on Friday.

St. Patrick’s Well

Right next to the funicular is another amazing site called St. Patrick’s well. This well is gigantic! It is 54 meters deep and has a double spiral staircase structure with 248 steps. 13 meters in diameter and has 72 round-arched windows through which light filters. It is truly something to see.

We did not climb down or up all those stairs. Just looking down and seeing how deep it is was enough for us. Plus I realized I had left my glasses back in a little restaurant so we had to walk all the way back up into town! I think we walked close to 15,000 steps today!

Hot springs in Saturnia

About an hour and 20 minutes away is the town of Saturnia. The drive is gorgeous this time year with everything being so lush and green. It looked like we could possibly be in Ireland! We headed to La Cascate di Saturnia (the hot springs) We had read somewhere that there were no bathrooms to change into our swimsuits so we changed in the car. How’s that for an Italian experience!

You park in a parking lot and walk down to the hot springs. Once we arrived at the hot springs we found bathrooms, showers and picnic areas. Tip- Always check the website of the places you are going to visit don’t just rely on heresay haha.

The hot springs are amazing! Lots of locals were there soaking up the sun and relaxing in the springs. The water was not really very hot.

I was expecting hot tub temps but it was more like bathtub temperature if even that. There is a smell in the air of sulfur but it really wasn’t bad at all.

P.S. This is the bathing suit I ordered from Amazon and I love it! It is only $30!!

It is very picturesque and relaxing. We really enjoyed sitting the hot springs and floating.

Stay tuned for more of our Italy trip!