Bagnoregio, Orvieto & Montepulciano: Day Trip with Wine & Lunch

4.55

(142 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

Ever wondered what it feels like to cross three regions of Italy in just one day? I didn’t really expect much when I boarded that coach in Rome—just a break from the city, maybe some decent wine. But as we rolled into Civita di Bagnoregio, with mist still clinging to the cliffs and that long footbridge stretching out ahead, I caught myself just staring. Our guide, Marco, told us locals call it “the dying city,” but honestly, it felt so alive—kids chasing pigeons in the square, old men sipping espresso under faded awnings. The stone under my shoes was cool and uneven. There’s something about those narrow lanes that makes you slow down without realizing.

The drive through Tuscany after that—well, you know how people always say “rolling hills” and you think they’re exaggerating? They’re not. We pulled up at this farmhouse near Montepulciano where lunch was waiting: panzanella with tomatoes so ripe they almost tasted sweet, wild boar sausage (I tried not to think too hard about it), pecorino cheese that crumbled between my fingers. The Brunello di Montalcino tasting was… let’s just say I still remember the way the last glass smelled—like cherries and something earthy. Our host poured with both hands and kept saying “piano, piano”—slowly—which made everyone laugh because none of us were going slowly at all.

Orvieto came last. Sunlight bouncing off the Duomo’s mosaics made me squint; someone next to me whispered it looked like a jewelry box left out in the open. We had free time there—I wandered into a tiny shop selling hand-painted ceramics and ended up buying a mug I probably didn’t need. The underground tunnels were cooler than I expected (literally cool—the air felt damp on my skin). On the ride back to Rome, everyone got quiet for a while. Maybe it was the wine or maybe just tiredness or maybe we were all thinking about those little moments—like how Marco pointed out an olive tree older than his grandmother and grinned at his own joke.