GORGEOUS!!!! Like watching the sunset in Hawaii:))) wow! Love it here!! Photos don't suffice..read more

This is St. Francis' hermitage, the place where he would escape to from Assisi town, to pray and…read moremeditate along with his 4 companions. Thank God the Franciscan brothers still keep this place sparse and little decorated and it hasn't been made into a tourist circus like the town has. Many of them regularly walk the trails in the woods also to make sure tourists and pilgrims are not acting stupid. This is a holy sanctuary. This is the place where the stories of St. Francis preaching to the birds, receiving the vision of the angels and even levitating while experiences his spiritual ecstasies happened. If you want to come here and meditate and experience the same serenity that St. Francis did, by all means do so, there are many places in the woods and trails here for that and if you are in the right state of mind, stay quite and reverent and in a receptive state, some magical insights will come to you given how much St. Francis loved nature. St. Francis' energy is here but you have to be very patient and quiet to pick up on it, it is not in the town nor in the basilica where his bones and relics are. You'll get the feeling that you are a million miles away from the ugliness of the world but please take a reverent attitude here instead of an obnoxious, tacky tourist one. I saw both types of behavior in action here unfortunately. I saw very quiet and serious Italian pilgrims here given that the day I came was immediately after St. Francis' Feast Day. I also saw a yogini barefoot and doing a serious session of Earthing but I also saw the most obnoxious, loud, rude and uncouth Asian and Eastern European tourists who only show up because their guidebook tells them to but don't understand the significance of this place, the same types I saw at the Cave of the Apocalypse on the Greek island of Patmos, Mount Shasta in California and who had literally taken over the Sistine Chapel, they walk through the hermitage with the same amounts of poise and discretion as a brontosaurus, without even a second's worth of appreciation, take their stupid selfies and leave. Seriously, if that's the attitude you take, why bother even coming here? I spent a good three hours here, walking the trails and meditating at the the outdoor alters in the woods and in the caves that Francis' four closest brothers often went into seclusion to, for the purposes of deep, deep meditation and prayer, specifically Brother Leo, Brother Masseo, Brother Rufino and Brother Angelo. All four of their caves are here. I seriously hope the Franciscan Brothers can protect this place, this is one of the last real pure, spiritual refuges left in this world.

This magical place will blow your mind! Spend at least two hours here to silently soak up the…read morepeaceful atmosphere. This place is gorgeous and holy. It's kind of a long and steep walk from town so you may want to ride up in a car. You should bring some water if you want to hike around here because you won't find food or beverages for sale here.

What an amazing place! The best food, fashion, sights galore. Amazing foretress built over a town…read morethat you can still walk through. Panoramic vistas everywhere. This is a stunning location and is a new favorite of mine. Many high end hotels make this a must see when visiting Italy. Convenient to get to and filled with so much to do and see that you will wish you had stayed longer.

Ok.. I LOVE this place. It has a Great Lake and the festivals are also fun! The people are wayyyy…read morenicer here than most cities. Gorgeous! I recommend driving around and going to the center and the lake!!

If you know me, you know I love a good cathedral and this one is pretty great…read more Orvieto is a gorgeous, perfect hill town crowned with this jewel of a church. Started in 1294 (!) it took 300+ years to build. There's plenty of art including spectacular frescos by Signorelli. When you look at the elaborate decor - inside and out- reflect that most of this is hand laid mosaic work. Incredible

If you can only visit one place in Orvieto, the Duomo should be it! This strikingly beautiful 14th…read morecentury cathedral is likely the crown jewel of the small mountain town. It has amazing statues (check out all 18 of them, including the two right in front of the altar-- the unbelievable Angel of the Annunciation and the Virgin of the Annunciation! ) masterpiece frescos, and stained glass windows so vibrant that they etch into your heart! For just 5 Euros (at this writing) the beauty and memory you get is simply out of this world. A true marvel !!!

Lovely village - people are starting to find out about this place, so visit it now before it loses…read moreit's small town village appeal. (We heard the wealthy Europeans are buying the places up, but I don't know if that's true or not) I know the reviews say to park at the bottom parking lot, which is what we did. But there is limited public parking up near the entrance if you don't want to walk (maybe someone can clarify if this is for overnight guests only? there seemed to be ample parking spots). However, the walk through Bagnoregio is very nice - some stores and handful of places to eat. Once you pass the entrance booth, the walk along the bridge is beautiful - if you're in relatively good shape, it isn't difficult. However, I did see some taking breaks near the end, and breathing slightly heavy. Civita de Bagnoregio is absolutely lovely. Not a lot to do but to wander the streets, visit the church, and take lots of pictures. There are plenty of cute restaurants, and places to eat, so eat here if you can! Hard to find places like this anymore - enjoy!

This place was definitely the highlight of our stay in Rome…read more I know many people come to Rome for all the famous landmarks and the history. So were we. But after visiting 2-3 places that were completely packed with tourists regardless what time of day it was, we were ready to change the scenery for some sight seeing along with peace and quiet. We decided to rent a car and left Rome around 6am to make the 2hours drive here to Civita di Bagnoregio. When we arrived, there was barely anyone at all. You have to park at the bottom of the village and "hike" your way up. Make sure you bring cash for parking and entrance fee (less than $10 total). From far away this village looks abandoned. Once you make your way to the top, it'll look like you're in one of those medieval movies. Everything is still so rustic, and not a lot of tourist at all until around 11am or noon. There's a really nice coffee shop close to the entrance that offers plenty of different drinks and snack bites to choose from. There are also couple restaurants that open for lunch and dinner which we didn't stay long enough to try. I highly recommend checking out Civita di Bagnoregio if you have some extra time in Rome. Come here early in the morning so you could have the whole place for yourself. The hike is not long or hard, but wear comfortable shoes regardless, since there's a lot of up and down little hills or stair inside the village.