Orvieto Wine, Food, and Family

In search of the ultimate travel coziness in Italy, we fell in love with Orvieto - oh, and Orvieto wine too!

​Media accommodations were provided to us by Hotel Duomo at no charge. All research, writing, and opinions are our own. Some links in this post may be affiliate links, which means we are paid a small commission should you make a purchase.

Is there anything cozier than stumbling into a delightfully snug wine bar with a full roaring fire at the end of a long travel day? Perhaps the only thing better is when said wine bar also doubles as a spectacular restaurant - and is owned by one of the kindest families you've ever met. This very scenario was our introduction to Orvieto wine, food, and family - and it set a new bar for hospitality, not just for all other Italian towns but indeed everywhere we travel.

​Here's what made Orvieto such a wonderfully cozy destination for us, including our beloved wine bar and our new favourite hotel, lovingly decorated by local artists.

Discovering Orvieto wine - and our new favourite wine bar

You don't need to know a lot about wine to really, really love and appreciate the Orvieto wine scene. Wine was introduced to this town in Umbria, central Italy, by the ancient Etruscans, who we "met" in nearby Volterra.  Then, from the Middle Ages to the mid 20th century, Orvieto was renowned for producing sweet dessert wine. 

Today sweet wine is produced in more limited quantities (though you can keep your eyes open for a semi-sweet wine known as Orvieto Abboccato) and dry wine really shines. Orvieto wine is labeled as "DOC" by the Italian government, meaning it has geographic distinction and is protected. The area is most famous and beloved for it's white "Classico" wine but at least half of the wine we drank was red wine - Rosso Orvietano - and we thought it was absolutely superb.

Every restaurant and bar in Orvieto offers a good selection of local wine but there is one place that's at the absolute top of our list. If you can only go to one spot, make it Enoteca Al Duomo.

We very nearly didn't go into Enoteca Al Duomo because it's right across from the Duomo (Cathedral) and the main public square. In my travel lexicon, places with that kind of prime real estate scream "tourist trap". Plus, our guidebook described it as more of a bar than a restaurant. However, I overcame my reluctance because it was so close to our hotel and I knew we could get there in one minute. Yes, laziness wins once again!

I am SO GLAD that I overcame my hesitance. What we found was one of the finest wine bars and restaurants we've ever visited. The owners and staff were the kindest, most welcoming people we met in Italy and they couldn't have been friendlier or more helpful when it came to guiding us through our Orvieto wine selection. To say that they're passionate about local wines is an understatement. They once apologized before suggesting one particular wine because the winery was about 50 km away and thus didn't really feel very local to them! They were also considerate of value and budgets and made sure we were okay with choosing wines that were over €25.00.

Of course, we stumbled inside in search of food as well as wine and they did not disappoint. Ryan nearly wept with pleasure when he first tried their cappeletti soup in a delicate chicken broth. He declared his off-menu, homemade pasta made with chestnut flour to be one of the best things he had ever ate. And the Roman meatballs with brandy and mustard sauce were something he could eat everyday. I was a bit more conservative in my tastes but every bit as happy as him and found the ultimate comfort food in their Caprese salad and pasta with porcini mushrooms. 

I also love, love, loved that each meal began with a basket of bread with olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar. We just inhaled this every time we visited! It's a little thing but every other restaurant we visited in Italy just served plain bread - with no condiments or butter on the side. Ho-hum. That's not especially exciting. But the incredible oil and vinegar at Enoteca Al Duomo was one of the best parts of our meal and we looked forward to eating it every day. 

I think part of what makes Enoteca Al Duomo so lovely is that its menu is beautifully balanced between authentic Umbrian meals and ingredients - wild boar, veal with bacon and peas, liver pate - and classic Italian dishes like lasagna and cannelloni. Whether we were keen on trying something new or wanted something a bit more familiar, we could find something that worked, that always tasted just right.

Sometimes I wonder if it's really Orvieto we loved so much or if it's Enoteca Al Duomo. I can't imagine one without the other. 

Exploring Orvieto wineries further afield

While there's nothing wrong with staying in town, sometimes it's nice to explore further afield. I really don't think you could go wrong no matter what Orivieto wineries you choose to visit. All are keen to welcome guests and there is a strong sense of hospitality and an eagerness to show off their products.

If you're not sure where to get started, here are four popular Orvieto wineries that I think everyone will really enjoy.
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• If you're passionate about exploring Orvieto wineries and exploring the world of viticulture, your first stop should be Locanda Palazzone. This gorgeous winery is just outside Orvieto and has turned its restored medieval farmhouse into a super chic hotel. Even if you can't spend the night, they're a great place to start for anyone keen on Orvieto wine tours. They have a has a full program of tastings, tours, and food programs.

 

• Casa Parrina produces ricotta, honey, nuts and nut products, saffron, and extra virgin olive oil in addition to wine. They offer a variety of tasting experiences which are perfect for guests who are just as interested in food as they are wine. They also have a small gift shop in Orvieto.

 

• At just 40 hectors, Cantine Neri is among the smaller of Orvieto's vineyards. They are also unique in that, in addition to producing red and white wines, they also make a dessert wine known as Mould Nobile. Be sure to ask to see the Etruscan caves on their land and let them know you're keen to see the farm's resident fox (if he's out and about).

 

• At Argillae, wine and olive oil production is complimented by an unspoiled woodland where mushrooms and truffles grow. Ask the staff to see some fossils - quite a few interesting ones have been unearthed from the fields. 

Organized Orvieto wine tours for the truly dedicated.

Is there such a thing as too much wine in Orvieto? Absolutely not! A guided wine tour is a great way to indulge your passion. Here are some options to help you narrow down which of the Orvieto wine tours is best for you:

• Gusto Wine Tours' classic itinerary includes at least three wineries visits with samples, lunch with wine, and at least one full winery tour. The cost is €160 per person. You can read reviews from other guests here. They have other itineraries which start from €90.00.  
• If you happen to be in Rome or arriving to Italy via cruise ship, Cellar Tours offers chauffeur service cars and tours of Decugnano die Barbi wine estate, plus lunch and a wine tasting followed by free time in Orvieto.  

Orvieto's Coziest Hotel

Everything about Hotel Duomo radiates coziness and it's our top Orvieto hotel choice - and not just because it's beside the wine bar!

The rooms are decorated with striking modern art and each is named in honor of a local artist who worked on the construction of the Duomo next door. For instance, we stayed in the Lippo Memmi room. Memmi was an artist from Siena who painted in the 1300s.

The public spaces are equally focused on art, with the lobby filled with paintings and sculptures from Livio Orazio Valentini. Valentini's influence is everywhere in the hotel, right down to the curtains. By his design, the first floor has yellow curtains, the second floor blue (as you can see from our room), and red on the third, designed to enhance different gradients of light. How neat is that!?

The rooms felt oh-so airy and spacious. High ceilings, large windows, an actual foyer with storage, and a bathroom you could turn around in were all highlights. After many nights in tiny European hotel rooms, this was an absolute treat.

This charming building still has all the modern perks, including air conditioning, an elevator, arrangements for private pay parking, and solid Wi-Fi. Breakfast offered a good variety of fruit, yogurt, pastry, meat, cheese, eggs, toast, cereal, and more.

Our conclusion: Hotel Duomo is our number one choice for where to stay in Orvieto. Its style is one of a kind, its location and amenities are perfect for busy travelers, and it was the perfect snug home base for our visit. But don't just take our word for it! You can read more reviews here. Before you book, note that Hotel Duomo also owns a small bed and breakfast (sometimes called the Annex) in the building next to the hotel and these rooms are a bit less expensive, an excellent option for budget travelers. 

Other travel information and practicalities for visiting Orvieto

Let's talk about the weather aka "mateo Orvieto" 

I can't tell you how much we LOVED Orvieto in November. The skies were blue and sunny, the air was crisp but not too cold, and it was *just* warm enough to enjoy a glass of wine on a terrace. You can learn more about the "mateo Orvieto" here so you can best plan your winery excursions.

Travel Info: Getting from Rome to Orvieto and more.

When we were in Tuscany, we took the train from Siena to Orvieto. There are about 8 trains a day from Siena to Orvieto, ranging from 1 hour 50 minutes and 3 hours 15 minutes and cost roughly $20.00.

Orvieto is just over an hour away from Rome and is a great place to park your car to avoid bringing it into the city. There are about a dozen train connections between Rome and Orvieto each day and most trains take between 1 hour 20 minutes and 1 hour 45 minutes. Tickets are usually about $15-25.

Finally, from Florence from Orvieto, there are about 10 trains a day ranging from 1 hour 45 minutes and 2 hours 15 minutes.  The cost per ticket is around $25-$30.

In case you're wondering how I know all this.... I can't take all the credit! I used the Rome2Rio app and website. This is a fantastically comprehensive site which tells you every possible option to get from A to B.

Parking in Orvieto

Having a car is a fantastic way to explore the wineries around Orvieto - but parking in town can be a bit of a challenge. The most popular Orvieto parking spot is Campo della Fiera near the medieval aqueduct. Your GPS might also call it Foro Boario or Parcheggio della Rupe Orvieto ("parcheggio" means "parking"). Once inside the parking garage there is direct access to the upper city via an elevator and escalator. 

I also heard you can park for free - free! - at the large parking lot at the train station (which is heavily favored by tour buses - follow the signs for them). I can't personally confirm this but it's well worth checking out. 

Orvieto stole our hearts

Orvieto has SO much to offer - gorgeous scenery, lovely food, fascinating history. But for us, it will always be our favourite wine destination and one of the coziest places we've ever visited. We're already dreaming of our next visit and we hope you'll add it to your travel bucket list too. 
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