Caffetteria Hescanas in Orveito

Lunch in the Piazza 2023
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Today I'm remembering a perfect little lunch, in a charming Italian piazza. The adventure part (of the dining adventure) actually came before the meal. 

There's nothing better than relaxing over a simple meal, while enjoying a conversation about the fun morning your just had.

Orvieto in 1969
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This photo is from April 2023, but my memories of Orvieto go back to 1969. Don and I ate lunch looking across the cobblestone towards this fabulous Duomo di Orvieto.  I definitely remember the amazing cathedral. 

I have an old postcard of it. At age 11 I had no camera, but bought postcards everywhere we traveled.

St. Patirick's  Well

This is actually what I remember most about the town, St. Patrick's Well! I remember traveling down one set of steps to reach the bottom and  climbing up a different set, coming back up.

This was to prevent the mules that carried water up from the well, from encountering the mules going down into the well!

Park of the Monsters

I have such fond memories of the Well Adventure. But it actually came right after an even more exciting adventure. Our visit to Park of the Monsters. This amazing and eerie park was created hundreds of years ago. It's about 30 minutes outside of Orvieto.

I still cherish those magical memories of being a kid and crawling on top of the eerie statues. So when Don and I planned a trip to Italy for 2023, I researched to find out if it was still possible to visit! It was! We hired a driver to take us to the Monster Park and Patrick's Well and then to Orvieto, for lunch. 

Restaurant on the Square

We found the entrance to Cafeteria Hescanas, through an old doorway across from the Cathedral. I don't remember this place at all.

A hallway greeted us, with a couple of odd tables, a bike and some ads on the wall.

Outdoor Cafe

We opted to be seated at a cafe table on the patio.

Our table gave us a perfect view of the gorgeous church. We sipped cappuccino and took in all the details.

I remember my parents adoring the decadent frothy drink in 1969. Cappuccino wasn't a beverage you could get easily in the States back then.  I loved the smell but could never be convinced to take a sip. But how good it tasted after our morning adventures.

A quick peek at the menu and it was clear that pizza was the way to go.

The fresh dough and fresh tomatoes tasted the way I remember Italian pizza back in 1969. We ate a lot during our 6 month stay in Italy. A family of 6 on a teacher salary. 

Thank goodness we all loved pizza... except for the anchovies that often appeared.

Exploring Inside

I did a little wandering before we headed off. 

There was a room filled with wine bottles and old photographs.

A cozy space had tables with red & white tablecloths. 

I wanted badly to ask the man behind the counter how long this building had been standing. How long had it been a restaurant? Generations maybe. But he was engaged in serious conversation. I headed back to our table.

Our pizza meal was simple and lovely. I'll never forget how lucky I felt to sit there knowing I had just shown Don some of my favorite places I  remembered fondly from childhood. We headed across the street and toured the Cathedral. 
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Below  are a few slideshows of each!

Park of the Monsters
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No climbing on the monsters today. But at least the park was still open to visitors.

We mostly had the park to ourselves, until a school group arrived as we finished our visit.
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St. Patrick's  Well  

​Built 1527... 2 spiral staircases with a total of 497 steps. permitted mule drawn carts carrying water!

We also had the well to ourselves! Traveling in early April pays off!

Duomo di Orvieto
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This cathedral is one of my very favorites in Italy. 

The tour of the Duomo di Orvieto was the icing on the cake. Monsters, Well, Pizza and Cathedral, all in one glorious day!