Day 4 - March 27th - on the road - to Arezzo

We had breakfast at the hotel then it was off to pick up our rental car. We rented a car with Thrifty to be picked up at the Termini Train Station and to be returned to the Fuimicino airport. We were originally given an Alfa Romeo (not sure what model) but it had NO trunk space so we were upgraded to a Lancia Lybra station wagon. Once our bags were loaded we were on our way to tackle the rest of Italy.

We started off in Orvieto, arriving about 10-1030am. We went straight to the Duomo. The front of the Duomo is supposed to be gorgeous however it was covered with scaffolding as they were cleaning it, so we didn't get to get the whole experience. We walked around, looked at the ceramics and went into some local shops. We walked away from the main square and were rewarded with seeing places where the locals live (non touristy areas). I must say that this ended up being my favorite hill town. I would love to come back & stay here in order to experience everything Orvieto has to offer.

Next came Perugia - my father's friend had recommended stopping here to see the underground area (built by the Etruscan people) but there was nothing here but a bookstore (so pretty much a bust in my opinion). We ate lunch off the beaten track, at what appeared to be a local hangout - the Serenella e Alfredo restaurant. Dad had lasagna, Dawn had pizza & I had gnocchi. I finished with Tartufo nero and Dad had tiramisu.

Gubbio was next. This town is known for it's ceramics. It's a cute little town. We walked around for several hours then decided to start our drive towards Florence (we knew we would stop somewhere along the way and spend the night). Arezzo ended up being our stopping point. We found a 3 star hotel called the Hotel Europa (Via Spinello 43) and were able to get a twin at $78 EUR (room 56) and a single at $50 EUR (room 71). I personally would not stay there again - it was like stepping into the late 60's/early 70's with the decor. We could also hear everything that was happening next door, but the location and cost worked for us. We had dinner at La Vigna Trattoria - I had gnocchi & spinacia salata (spinach salad), Dawn had pizza, and Dad had the agnello (lamb) cooked on the grill - he let me taste it...Delicious!