We did get ready and out the door early enough and then decided to take rural roads to Orvieto, which is only about 40 miles from Piegaro. We loved all of the charming small villages we passed through, and ended up at the walls of Orvieto by 10:30. Lisa's had her fill of churches and went off on her own to shop (since she never has her fill of that). Lori, Dan and I headed off to the Duomo, the gothic cathedral that Orvieto is famous for.
It was so gorgeous, with all of the glass mosaics on the facade, our photos don't do it justice. The interior wasn't as intricate as some, but beautiful in proportions and it did have a wonderful organ with pipes that were suspended several feet in the air.
After viewing the Duomo, we decided to tour through the museum next door, with many artifacts from the same era (14th century) and also a great deal of Etruscan art, as Orvieto is another of the original Etruscan cities in Italy.
We shopped for a bit and then picked out a trattoria for lunch. Again we shared many different plates to get samples of all of the fare and two hours later we were back walking around the village and once again the shops were closed. This is a reoccuring theme with us. We're not used to 3-hour lunches . . . so Lori and I decided to get lost in the residential area of Orvieto and we walked and walked until 4pm and we could start shopping our way back to our car. Dan had gone down to meet Lisa and check out the stunning walls of the village, which are hundreds of feet tall.
This was a quaint and well-kept village with so much to see that we didn't even skim the surface. But loved it, nonetheless. Once home, we were forced indoors because of a downpoor and thunderstorm. After it had died down, we headed to our local favorite place for Tartufi (truffles) and pasta. THAT will be one thing that all of us will miss when we leave Italy!
Ardel
This is the view from Orvieto's steep fortress walls.
Lisa, Ardel and Dan standing on the parapet at the base of the village.
The walls of Orvieto were literally tied to the stone hillside. Looking over the edge is NOT recommended (but we all did it just to see how scary it was)
This sidewall was our first view of the Duomo in Orvieto. This cathedral is famous for it's lovely gothic facade.
So tall it couldn't fit in a single image . . . Orvieto features many mosaics and the glass tiles are from our own Vetreria (glass factory) in Piegaro.
Detail of the mosaics. We saw close-ups of these in the museum and each piece of glass is about 1/4" wide. The skill and patience to build these is phenomenal.
The rose window at Orvieto. Stunning from inside and out.
Dan and Ardel in front of the Etruscan bronze doors at the cathedral.
Lori, inside the cathedral, in front of a baptismal font.
The organ pipes were suspended 40' up from the floor. The sound in this cathedral must be something else.
Our first pet of the day. Too cute.
Our second pet of the day. This violinist was playing in the piazza and the sound was like something from a movie, as he played and the music echoed from building to building. The cat decided to watch him play and Lori couldn't resist the shot.
We loved these sculptures and door frames that were displayed along an alleyway. Ardel and Dan liked the bench with a Roman soldier watching over.
Lori liked the horse best . . .
Could we really have three pets of the day? This wild boar was just stepping out of a small pasta shop in Orvieto's shopping district. We decided some pets were ok to be stuffed . . .
A small fountain in an apartment lobby. We were drawn to this simple courtyard in our after-lunch walk. Even the simplest objects have elegance and detail that we often seem to overlook in the US.
Another beautiful entryway. Flowers were in bloom and everywhere in the city.
We only have two more days before we have to head home. It's hard to decide what we don't want to miss this trip and what we'll have to come back for. I think tomorrow we'll head to Gubbio and then have Colleen's Italian family over for dinner. We're trying to arrange a winery and olive oil company tour for Friday at a unique (all green, off-grid) company that's just a few miles from us. Check back to see what happens. AJC
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