Today marks our final day in Italy. We will visit Orvieto. This is the last item on our planned itinerary. Linda and I visited Orvieto a number of years ago and we thought the kids would enjoy seeing a medieval city.
Like every other place in Italy, the Etruscans were there first. This ancient city was a major centre of the Etruscan civilization. Rome annexed Orvieto in the 3rd century BC. The city is located on top of a plateau, overlooking the surrounding valley. The elevation is 650' above the valley. It was considered an impregnable location and it controlled the road from Florence to Rome. The population in the 13th century was 30,000. Today it is 20,000. The city was built on a flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff (75% volcanic ash and 25% rock). This is basically two cities, the above ground and the underground.
Although the city was considered impregnable, caution was the watchword. There is a labyrinth of tunnels that were constructed that provided an escape route if the city came under seige. These tunnels are available for viewing with an escort. The tunnel system has over 1200 galleries, rooms, cisterns, and cellars.
If your travels take you to Orvieto, you absolutely need to visit the Cathedrel of Orvieto. The cornerstone for the church was laid on 15 November, 1290 by Pope Nicholas IV. During the sack of Rome in 152, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, along with Pope Clement VII, took refuge in Orvieto. As you enter the cathedral, there are sculptures of the 12 disciples, with 6 on each side leading to the alter. The kids tried to figure out who each one was.
A long history through the ages. We enjoyed our time here. In fact we almost missed our train back to the airport. We left Orvieto for Rome at 9:00 PM. When we arrived at the transfer point,the last train for the day had left. We hopped back on the train to the Termini, (the central train station) and had 5 minutes to find and board a train to the airport. Our day started at 10:00 AM and we got back to the hotel at 12:00 midnight.
A long day....another long day tomorrow as we cross the Atlantic, heading for home.
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| Ethan & Riley |
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| View of the valley from on top. |
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| Beth taking a pasta break |
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| Italian fried chicken |
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| On the train |
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| Our last Italian restaurant |
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| Cathedral of Orvieto |
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