Orvietto

Sunday was our first day trip. We went to the Umbrian hill town of Orvietto, famous for their white wine (Orvietto Classico), their ceramics, and their umbricelli.

Orvietto's main piazza

It was such a beautiful day. Orvietto is a hill town built on a large tufa rock, and the medieval residents, as well as the etruscans long before them, carved caves into the rock and used them as cool places for storage, work areas, and cooling/ventilation. We started off the day with a tour of the caves.

 It was so cool! They even had places to raise pigeons for protein so that there would be a food source during times of siege.

After that we were given a few hours for lunch and exploration. We had the umbricelli that Francesco recommended and it was phenomenal. Orvietto is also known for its part in starting the slow food movement, which emphasizes using high quality, fresh, local ingredients. After eating this, I see why.

Umbricelli al Pomodoro

And of course we took a little time to check out the local shops.

Ceramics

After lunch, we met up again to take a tour of the town church. No one told us that we would be going to a church, so I dressed for the 34 degree Celsius weather… aka 100 degrees. The church recently started not permitting entrance to people with bare shoulders, so I was pulled aside along with several others and told I could not enter. That is until RPI bought us all t-shirts. Best possible scenario.

We then went to the bell tower in the middle of the town, and got to overlook the whole hill top.

After that we took a long walk through the hilly town. It was very warm and a little tiring, but these views made it totally worth it.

Just before leaving we went to the well of Saint Peter. Because the town was built on top of volcanic rock, the only natural water source is deep below the rock, and it would not be possible to access the water outside of the town during times of siege. So the town drilled a 180 ft well that has 2 spiraling staircases, one on top of the other. Donkeys would go town one stair case to fetch water, and up another staircase to bring it back. This allowed for a constant supply of water during times of need. I am proud to say that I was able to join their ranks.

So many new experiences. Every aspect of this trip has been amazing in its own right, and we have only just begun. I am so excited to see what awaits in Torino.