Orvieto, Umbria

Orvieto, Umbria

Today was spent in Orvieto, a small town in the region of Umbria (pronounced ooombria as in boom, not um as in umbrella).  When we first got off the bus, we had a delicious lunch.  All the students went to a restaurant where we had a wonderful lasagna with zuchini.  It didn't have sauce on it, and had an eggy tasty to it.  Then they served beef and potatoes, a normal person sized portion, unlike those that you find in the United States.  (My first red meat since not being a vegetarian.  I forgot how delicious it was.)  The dessert was a strawberry rum cake.  Umbria is said to have the best wine in all of Italy...even better than Tuscany.  I can't say if this is true or not, only because I have not been to Tuscany, but the wine that we were given at the restaurant was the best wine I've had.  They served red, so we bought a bottle of white to split sometime in the future to try a different taste.  I don't mean to tell you everything I'm eating, but these big dinners have been part of orientation, so I feel that they are essential to describing the different regions.  Especially because each region in Italy holds strong to their own culture and tradition.

Now onto Orvieto.  Orvieto means old town.  It was given this name in the 5th century AD when the people of Orvieto moved down the hill to what they called New Town.  Orvieto was originally an Etruscan town dating back to the 8th and 9th century BC.  One of the main attractions is an old church, the oldest actually, because the building was built by the Etruscans. Once Christianity came to Orvieto it was made into a church.  All of the Buildings are made of volcanic ash. 



A side view of the duomo.  You can see the gothic architecture and some of the murals.  the one on the high left is the one that depicts the baptism of Jesus.  All others tell stories of Mary.


The Duomo is one of the most beautiful I have seen.  It is Roman Gothic.  Because most people were illiterate, the church preached through the art.  There are murals outside, most of the Assumption of Mary.
There are frescos depicting each of the gospels.  They didn't turn out too well in the pictures, but Matthew and Mark are of the Old Testament.  This is unusual since they are both Gospels and obviously in the New Testament, but on their pillars describe stories of the creation, and of Exodus. Luke is mostly of the birth of Jesus, and John also depicts the New Testament, but the ending.

This is the fresco on the Luke column of the Nativity.

Inside, the stained glass windows are absolutely breathtaking.  Until you get near the altar, the decor is very plain, very much Etruscan.  However, towards the front of the church there are more portraits.  Michaelangelo stayed in Orvieto for two months to contribute to the protraits. 
One of the most interesting facts about the Duomo is that it was here that when breaking the Eucharist, blood fell onto the altar cloth.  The cloth is in the tabernacle. It is a famous  miracle, and it was unbelievable to stand in the same spot.
St Patrick's Well is another site, but we were unable to walk down to it.  The view from outside was absolutely gorgeous, though. 

View from Orvieto

Random things:

Traffic is just as bad in Italy
I never feel short around Italians
I saw Orien's constellation on the drive back to Rome, but it was reversed.