Traveling around Europe is definately a goal of mine here, but I've found there is so much to see so close by! Orvieto is a hill town about an hour away from Viterbo in the Umbria region. It was a field trip organized by our coordinators. As we were riding the bus towards Orvieto I could see the ancient town perched on a hill. The duomo and the bell tower were the tallest buildings built on the highest part. This is a characteristic of most towns like Orvieto.
Near the town we visited a very deep well that had spiral stairs leading to the bottom and once we crossed the bottom over the water there was another staircase leading back up. What a work out! Next we toured the duomo. This was the first gothic style cathedral I got to see. It is so detailed and ornate both inside and out. The columns inside had st
ripes of black and white. The ceiling was so high! Beautiful!
That afternoon we had free time to each lunch at look around at the town. The side streets were filled with little shops. Many had ceramics and craft items. A small group of us ate lunch at a restaurant instead of a bar. I randomly chose the pasta called umbrichilla (I think that's how to spell it). I found out later that it's a pasta specific to the Umbira region. It's similar to spaghetti noodles, but larger and not cooked completely. It was a little crunchy, but very delicious!
Vetralla is a short 10 minute bus ride from Viterbo and home to my culture teacher. She encouraged us to go to participate in an annual fair honoring the town's saint. It was a dreadfully rainy day, but a few of us went anyway. There were lots of street vendors with many unique things to sell. I bought 2 scarfs and a handcrafted bowl. Vetralla was similar to Orvieto in that we had to walk up hill to get to the church and bell tower. I plan to go back to visit when the weather is nicer because like all towns here is has it's own amazing history and great things to see.
Near the town we visited a very deep well that had spiral stairs leading to the bottom and once we crossed the bottom over the water there was another staircase leading back up. What a work out! Next we toured the duomo. This was the first gothic style cathedral I got to see. It is so detailed and ornate both inside and out. The columns inside had st
ripes of black and white. The ceiling was so high! Beautiful!That afternoon we had free time to each lunch at look around at the town. The side streets were filled with little shops. Many had ceramics and craft items. A small group of us ate lunch at a restaurant instead of a bar. I randomly chose the pasta called umbrichilla (I think that's how to spell it). I found out later that it's a pasta specific to the Umbira region. It's similar to spaghetti noodles, but larger and not cooked completely. It was a little crunchy, but very delicious!
Vetralla is a short 10 minute bus ride from Viterbo and home to my culture teacher. She encouraged us to go to participate in an annual fair honoring the town's saint. It was a dreadfully rainy day, but a few of us went anyway. There were lots of street vendors with many unique things to sell. I bought 2 scarfs and a handcrafted bowl. Vetralla was similar to Orvieto in that we had to walk up hill to get to the church and bell tower. I plan to go back to visit when the weather is nicer because like all towns here is has it's own amazing history and great things to see.
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