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Published: August 29th 2011
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On Saturday morning we all met at the bus top to take the local bus to the nearby town of Viterbo. Entrance to the city is through ancient gates and the historical center is still surrounded by medieval walls, built during the 11th and 12th centuries. We began our tour with a visit to the church of San Francesco, which was built in the year 1237. However, in 1944 the church was partially destroyed by Allied bombs and was not reopened until 1953. Inside the church were two funeral monuments to both Pope Adrian and Pope Clement IV. Unfortunately, I was not able to take pictures in this church either, but it was very interesting to see. Afterwards, we visited another monastery, of which I am told the artwork was not superb but it was very pretty and interesting to look at.
We then headed over to the local markets. Markets in Italy are nothing like what they are in the United States, they sell everything you can possibly think of, from fake designer items, to windshield wipers, to shoes. We walked around for about an hour and watched the locals shop. Our guide, Massimo, then lead us to the
town hall where we got to look at more artwork and "Cinderella's Carriage." Apparently, they decided to clean out the storage of the town hall and found this beautiful carriage hidden behind a wall. After discovering one tiny, 300 year old shoe inside the carriage, the mayor of the town declared that they had found Cinderella's shoe.
Massimo then lead us to a staircase that looked up at a very old balcony. According to local legend, the most beautiful girl in the town of Viterbo used to stand on the balcony in the medieval ages and wave to all of her admirers every day. Eventually, a very wealthy man proposed, except the girl was in love with a poor boy and denied his proposal. The wealthy man was so upset by this that the next time the girl came out he shot and killed her with an arrow.
Continuing on our tour, Massimo told us that he had a surprise for us. We followed him down narrow streets and eventually saw ahead of us a giant gold tower, covered in lights. We had found the Macchina di Santa Rosa. This tower is 30 meters tall and weighs between
3.5 and 5 tons. Every year on September 3rd at 9pm at night, 100 men of Viterbo carry the tower on their shoulders to seven churches around the town to be blessed. This is quite an honor, and in order to be chosen each man must prove his strength beforehand. On the top of the machine is the patron saint of Viterbo Santa Rosa and it is believed that she protects the town. Every five years the Macchina di Santa Rosa is changed and there are contests held for a new design. According to Massimo, this is the oldest Catholic tradition that is still done today.
Massimo then lead us to the sight of the first conclave, which is the selection of the Pope, at the Palazzo dei Papi. This palace was the home of the papal throne during the 12th and 13th centuries after they fled from Rome. We also saw the tombstone of Pope John XXI, who died when his ceiling collapsed on him after a chemical experiment gone wrong.
By this time, we were all starving so Massimo lead us to one of his favorite restaurants. We were served water, wine, an appetizer plate of
various meats with tomatoes and mozzarella, delicious pasta, another round of different types of meat, and espresso to finish the meal, all for only 10 euro. By then we needed to catch the bus so we made our way back to the stop. We had walked all day and were very tired on the bus ride home.
Later that evening, we headed back to the Cafe del Duomo (basically the only place to go in the small town of Tuscania) where we mingled with locals. Some of the younger Italian boys wanted to practice their English, so we talked with them for a while and they taught us some key phrases (for example, your mother is gay). Even the older people were fascinated by us and many grown adults would come up and ask for us to talk to them in English so they could practice. Although this was a bar-type atmosphere, people of all ages were there to spend a night out, ranging from newborns to senior citizens. We would have liked to stay out longer, but had to make our 1 am curfew. It was a great day!
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