This place is listed in many "Things to do in Orvieto" publications but my personal opinion is,…read moreit's not worth it unless you're really bored or have run out of things to do! There's not much to see to begin with, and what you will see (underground caves ) you can find similar scenes in some local hotels and restaurants. For 4 Euros (at this writing) I'd say you can find better places to visit (like the magnificent Duomo for 5 Euros) - that is, unless you are crazy about spelunking and must go to every cave you come close to!

Very nice, well done, and interesting spot to visit. Won't take more than 20-30 minutes to walk…read morethrough the caves, but inside you will find extremely interesting information about the discovery of the caves themselves and thoughts on what different parts of the caves were used for. They also have interesting pieces found in the cave, along with a lovely courtyard to sit in and enjoy while having a glass of wine or a pastry. What's incredibly interesting to keep in mind is that the city we know now as Orvieto, and indeed, probably many cities that we now know and love across Italy, have been built on top of cave systems such as this. It's fascinating to think what lies underneath when walking around Umbria, and especially the Orvieto area. I think this is a very interesting spot and found it very worth my time. Recommend!

A must-see museum behind and adjacent to the Cathedral in the 13th-century Papal Palace. The…read morethousands of Etruscan artifacts are from the area and include vases, bronzes, terra cotta items, and even frescoes from detached from the Etruscan tombs.

The palace is located in the center of Pienza, next to the Duomo. It dates back to the mid 1400's…read moreand is considered an early example of Renaissance architecture. It actually served as the home of the Piccolomini family until early 1960's, which is interesting to me! It still houses a large collection of furnishings, books, and family items dating back to when it was first built.The Palazzo has a gorgeous and enormous courtyard where concerts and special events are now held, in addition to stunning gardens and views. If Renaissance architecture interests you, it's worth a visit.

We took a day trip here while staying in San Casciano and enjoyed the restored palace of Popes Pius…read moreI & II. The is a very impressive collection of artwork and family items that date back nearly 1,000 years. It is quite interesting to see the rise of the family and its influence in Tuscany. The view of the Val d'Orcia from the gardens is unmatched. Worth visiting if you are in the area and the admission is reasonable.

Lovely square with a great mix of locals and tourists. There is some sort of art festival happening…read morethis month. We sat outside under a beautiful blue sky and bright moon and listened to an orchestra practice. Definitely stop and check this out if you make it to Montepulciano. Magical.

My husband and I are here for 8 days with a UNF group on a tour called, The Footsteps of St…read moreFrancis. The villa, privately owned, is used for educational workshops for business people. It also is used for traveling groups like ours. This villa has several large conference room for groups to have meetings and hear lectures. Some of the rooms have multiple beds for groups staying together; ours had just one king bed...thank goodness. We are headquartered here snd travel out each day. Tonight we had a cooking class on making fresh pasta by a known chef in Umbria. After a wonderful dinner we finished with lemon cello, recalling our wonderful day!

This entry requires a short story, so bear with me. My husband and I recently stayed at Palazzo…read moreCarlotta (Carletti Palace) in Montepulciano. The hotel is located within a large [ancient] building on the second floor. Residents live in other apartments within the building. During our stay, we noticed a very old man entering and leaving the building. Each day we observed him either slowly walking up the stairs or down, depending upon whether is was morning or evening. One day as we were leaving out of the front door of the building, he was about to enter, standing just outside the door. He kind of startled me, and then I recognized him and asked if he was coming inside, and the biggest smile came over his face. He entered, we left. The next morning at breakfast, I asked the concierge if she knew the man. She smiled and told us it is Giulio Brandi, and that he is 92, he is a painter and has a studio across the street. His apartment is in the same building as the hotel. She gave us his address, which was literally right across the street. We were leaving that same day, but we quickly ran over to his gallery--it's more like an office/studio. Neither of us spoke the other's language, but we made do. I, too, am an oil painter and my husband will attest to the fact that his studio looks a lot like mine--a little scattered, with artwork just sitting around. His paintings are in the impressionist style, and all are plein air landscapes (redundant?). All of his paintings are done in soft colors. I had quite a time of picking out only two! I bought one for my son-in-laws birthday--he and my daughter are the reason we chose to visit Montepulciano. He absolutely loves it! Mine is of a small church (I think) that our hotel view looked upon, but we didn't get to visit. His prices are crazy reasonable. I literally wish I could have bought them all!

The castle was very interesting but was much smaller than we anticipated. We were not able to go…read moreinto all of the areas and there was very little information about what the rooms were used for, only photos of a movie the castle was used in. Might be better with a guide.

I had my first brunello ever 40 years ago that was their first vintage and fell in love with the…read morestyle. Visiting was a highlight for me made even better by my tasting with Lisa, who was very informative. She has been with Banfi for 24 years. I opted for the higher end tasting, which was the correct thing to do for me. Lisa also recommended a bird identification app produced at Cornell University that is quite comprehensive. That recommendation was prompted by a question about a flurry of activity of a species related to the swallows that used to dominate San Juan Capistrano.

Went here for a VIP tour. The tour start with a lunch in their taverna. The food was amazing. We…read morehad a full four course meal with a "cheese ball" starter, pasta as prima and veal as secondi with icrecream for desert. We have a great sampling of the vines from Banfi with the meal and great service. After the meal we went on a tour of the Banfi winery and ended up with a tasting. Our guide Paul did a fantastic job. This is a major brunello provider that goes back to 15th century with beautiful views. We loved the experience.