Italian Hill Towns: Orvieto, Siena, Assisi

Upon arrival we arranged for the rental car and headed to Orvieto. The beautiful church with striking mosaics and striped sides sat right in the middle of the square. Our "hotel" was part of a monastery run by the friendly Fr. Victor. No air conditioning, an elevator that didn't go all the way to our floor and a view of another building - but the price was right and we were right in the center of quaint Orvieto. If we had known it was going to be so hot, we might have made another choice. This was the beginning of twenty nine days of sweltering heat.

 Around every corner were breathtaking views and interesting shops.

After a night in Orvieto, we headed to Siena for two nights. We stayed in a former convent turned into a hotel very near to St. Catherine of Siena's convent. The views from the room were outstanding, but it showed us what "hill town" meant. Much of the center of town was free of cars but filled with steep streets.

One of the most enjoyable parts of traveling is coming upon local celebrations that you were not aware of. In Siena, they were getting ready for the Paleo horserace that takes place in the center of town. Each neighborhood has a symbol and had parades to cheer on their entrant in the paleo. The parades are colorful and loud and oh so accessible to local and visitor alike.

Back Again

So, I haven't posted in a couple of years, but that doesn't mean I have been sitting at home. I will make some posts about some of my favorite travels and then get serious about blogging as I travel.

I blogged about my travels with SJS students and parents in April 2017 on my other blog entitled SJS European Adventure, so I won't go into that here. Let's just say, it was a wonderful trip, great company, fantastic sites, and a visit in Barcelona with our former French teacher.

Since then, I have had several "adventures". First, was an outstanding four day trip to Italy, followed by a 24 day cruise on the Westerdam. In the next posts, I will talk about some of the highlights of that trip.

If you follow me, you know that I am a big fan of Holland American Line (HAL) for cruising. I firmly believe that there is a cruise line for everyone. HAL is mine. I love the ships, the service, the food, and the slightly older clientele. There is always something for me to do, or quiet spots to just enjoy the voyage. The mid-size ship is my size ship. Each traveler should seek out what calls to them in the way of an onboard experience. I have sailed on five different cruise lines, and I would encourage anyone thinking about cruising to investigate them to find the best fit. Sometimes, you won't know the fit until you take a voyage.

But before we boarded the Westerdam, there were a few days in Italy....