To break up the trip between Siena and Sorrento, we decided to stay in a small town in between called Orvieto. We had a bit of trouble finding our accommodations since it was a little further than the “short walk” that the train station ticket counter told us. Also, the sidewalk just ended at a busy tunnel with blind turns, so we had to figure another way around. But we made it, phew.
Orvieto sits on a mountain top, overlooking valleys below. It is an old Etruscan city and was later conquered by the Romans in the 3rd Century BC. During WWII, it was deemed a safe zone because of its historical significance. We stayed in a hotel below and took a funicular (a tram) to the top.
Orvieto is a highly defensible city because it sits on a mountain plateau that is hard to access. It also has its own water source below. To the left of the picture is a fortress.
The Duomo is very similar to the one in Siena, but the exterior is even more impressive. Inside is fairly simple, although there are some impressive chapels. We walked in on a professional choir practicing, which provided an awesome atmosphere.
There is an underground city made up of hundreds of caves dug into the mountain. Most are not connected to each other and the deed to many of the houses include private caves. They have been used for various uses over the years, including mining and olive oil mills.
Another use for the caves was for raising pigeons. There is room after room lined with pigeon holes that the pigeons would leave to find food and come home to roost in. Pigeons are amazing, because they survive just about anywhere. But if your friends are being killed everyday, at some point wouldn't you fly away and never come back?
One thing about small towns is that they often don’t have guided city tours, therefore we have no knowledge of this building except that it is a cool looking old church.
No comments:
Post a Comment