Caffetteria Hescanas in Orveito, Italy

Patio Lunch, in the Piazza
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Today I'm remembering a perfect little lunch, in a charming Italian piazza.

Don and I enjoyed cappuccino and pizza, while talking about the wonderful adventures we'd had that morning.

Orvieto in 2023
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We relaxed and chatted while looking across the cobblestone, towards the fabulous Duomo di Orvieto. 

When Don and I planned our 2023 trip to Italy, I was giddy about squeezing in a day trip to Orvieto. I have fond memories of a spring day in 1969, when my family visited the beautiful cathedral and 2 other magical places.
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Postcards from 1969

At age 11 I didn't own a camera, but I obsessively bought postcards. While planning our recent trip, I dug up my old scrapbook. Don was easy to convince. We planned a day similar to the one I remembered from 1969.

We planned to visit an old well, an eerie park (with monsters and leaning towers) and then have lunch in Orvieto!
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St. Patrick's  Well in Orvieto

The old well was just how I remembered it.  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!  Don and I worked up a good appetite exploring the well before lunch! We met up with no mules or people.

Park of the Monsters

Before Don and I explored the well, we had another adventure, about 30 minutes outside of Orvieto. The eerie and amazing Park of the Monsters, was created hundreds of years ago. It was as mysterious and dreamlike, as I remembered.

I still cherish those magical memories of being a kid and crawling on top of the mossy statues. (no longer allowed)

Restaurant on the Square

Luckily both mini adventures were as fun as I remembered. By the time we finished exploring both places we were starved. We were happy to find Caffetteria Hescanas right on the piazza, across from the Cathedral. 

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, back in 1969. Cappuccino wasn't a beverage you could get easily in the States back then.  As a kid, 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.

No anchovies on this pizza. As a kid I remember having to pick them off all the time!

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 the 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!