Orvietto

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Sunday, we had to get out of Roma. It's filthy, crowded, noisy, the people are rude, and the food is ho hum. So we hopped a local train to Orvietto, 1 hour away. We took a funiculare to the old city. This hillside town is the summer residence of many of the Popes and dates back to 800 BC when the Etruscans settled. The 13th century Duomo is one of Italy's most beautiful Duomi. It was built to shelter the relic of the Miracle of Bolsena, which happened in 1263 just south of Orvietto. A doubting priest who questioned the sacrement of the Transfiguration (the host contains the incarnation - the actual body and blood of Christ - for all you non Catholics) witnessed that the bleeding host had stained the linen altar cloth. The cloth is in a protected encasement that mimics the churches facade.

We took a walking tour of the Etruscan caves under the city. The caves were used for working (pressing olives, pigeon coops, et.al.). There isn't any evidence that the Etruscans hid from the Romans in these caves. For that matter, there was nothing found from the Etruscan period. Speculation is, the Romans cleaned house when they sacked and conquered. The caves are now just another level of the towns homes. They are garages, basements, wine cellars, and storage rooms (like our attics, basements, and garages).

We had a tasty lunch at Tipica Trattoria Etrusca, dining on homemade umbrichelli (Umbrian pasta made without egg) with tartuffo bianco (white truffles) as the primi. For secondi, Ann had Agnello (spring lamb) and Pat had Piccione (remember the 'chickens' from San Marco?). Pat finally got his revenge. Pat's other choice was wild boar, but he didn't want another ham today. It wouldn't have worked as well with the wine.

The Duomo is very beautiful! But then, if you had all those popes around in the summer, you'd have a beautiful duomo too!

The town is charming and has many interesting artsie-fartsie shops. One artisan, inlays wood and creates some beautiful pieces. Ann found a jeweler selling a bracelet of silver and leather that could not be resisted. Pat doesn't wear bracelets, so he passed.

We really enjoyed our day away from Roma, but all good things must come to an end. The train back to Roma was hot, slow, and PACKED! Welcome back!

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