Orvieto north of Rome Italy 13 October 2013

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Orvieto north of Rome Italy 13 October 2013

As mentioned in my previous blog, we decided to drive on towards Orvieto from Assisi on the same day as time was on our side. Orvieto is about 150kms due north of Rome. This is another town placed precariously on a cliff made of tufaceos stone which is a limestone rock. From the car park, we had to go up 3 very long escalators to get to the town.

There is the most amazing Gothic cathedral we wanted to see because our books describe it as “this remarkable edifice was originally planned in a Romanesque style, but as work proceeded and the architectural style changed, Gothic features were incorporated into the structure. The black and white marble banding of the main body of the church is over shadowed by the rich rainbow colour of the façade. The harmonious blend of mosaic and sculpture, plain stone and dazzling colour, it has been likened to a giant outdoor alter screen.” Have a look at the photos.

Building started in 1290. The frescos inside were pretty incredible. Apparently Michelangelo got inspiration for some of his paintings from these frescos.

We walked around the streets for about an hour, learning that there were a number of hotels in the town and Italians used the town for slow, relaxing holidays, having long lunches and generally enjoying themselves.

We were on our way to Rome so left at about 4.00pm.

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