Friday, October 17, 2014

One last adventure!

Yesterday was our last day in Italy, and having seen all of the major sights in Rome that we wanted to, we decided to take the train out to the small hill town of Orvieto for a day trip. It only took about an hour to get there and we had a great day! Once we arrived in Orvieto, we took the Funicular (I wasn't sure what that was until I saw it, but it's like a tram) up the steep hill into town. From there we visited an old fortress on the edge of the hill and then strolled pleasant back streets of town and I satisfied my urge to photograph tons of charming Italian doors. Damon is such a patient husband!

Our tired feet were thankful for the Funicular!

Funicular

Damon made a new friend at the town fortress

Damon on the fortress walls

View from the fortress walls

Me on the fortress walls

Doin' my thing!

Here we go with my photo series "Doors of Orvieto"!










We visited Orvieto's Duomo, which is so ornate on the outside. The inside is fairly empty for the most part but it did house some beautiful and famous paintings by Signorelli. They also have a framed blood-stained linen cloth that's the result of a early Christian miracle which was interesting to see and learn about.

Damon reading the creation story on the outside of Orvieto's Duomo

Orvieto's Duomo

Gorgeous church!

We enjoyed some very good pasta for lunch at a wine bar, where we also got a bottle of local wine made in 2004. It was such wonderful flavor - it is remarkable what time does for Tuscan red wines.

Wine from 2004!

Damon enjoying the vino

Exploring Orvieto

Charming little street in Orvieto. We popped into a woodworker's shop and bought a beautiful olive wood cheese board and salad utensils.


We were so glad we took the trip out to Orvieto, it was such a cute town!

After lunch we went to one of Orvieto's other famous sights, St. Patrick's well. It was dug in the 1500s and features a double-helix staircase design, so that traffic flows one way and you go up a different staircase than you came down. It was a very clever way to be able to bring donkeys down to the well without causing a traffic jam. Looking down into the well was dizzying! It was so far to the bottom that Damon told me to look down because there was a rat down there - I looked and said "no honey, that's a person!" Maybe Damon needs a new contact prescription! Anyway, it was almost 500 stairs to the bottom and back up. Damon challenged me to run all the way up without stopping and I almost made it, but this was right after a lunch of pasta and wine so I have to cut myself a little slack!

Italians shooting the breeze outside St. Patrick's well.

The entrance to St. Patrick's well

Looking down into the well. So far down and a bit dizzying!

Who's that guy??

I was terrified of falling down the well and was very careful when posing for this picture!

At the bottom of the well. Damon was begging me to take the picture quickly because he was getting eaten alive by mosquitoes!

I like the way the alternate developing turned out on this picture

Looking up the well from the bottom

We took the train back into Rome and had dinner at a quirky little restaurant around the corner from our hotel. The food was great but the waiters kept arguing with each other in the middle of the street (our table was on the sidewalk). Italians are so animated and I wish I understood what they were saying!

Me & my favorite hobby!

We are headed for the airport shortly and are excited to go home. This has been such a wonderful trip and we've had do much fun, but we are looking forward to seeing our dogs and sleeping in our own bed! Arrivederci!

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