Last Day in Orvieto

The last day in Orvieto, we began with classwork, and then spent the rest of the day exploring.

We went to the Pozzo de San Patrizio, or the Well of Saint Patrick. This was constructed on the instructions of Pope Clement when he fled the Vatican to avoid the forces of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles. The best way to describe it is like a tower underground:

There was a gorgeous view from the outside entrance:

After the well, we went for gelato at our favorite place. One of the guys tried on Dr. Moldenhauer's hat:

For dinner that night, we went to an underground restaurant that used to be part of the caves under Orvieto:

The food was delicious.

Bye-bye, Orvieto! I hope to come back someday!

Day 7 - Claudio Faina Museum

Our professors got us a deal - they got us all cards that granted us prepaid entrance into some of the local museums. I was on the phone with the airlines while the others went to most of the other museums (thanks for NOTHING, Lufthansa!) but after the Necropolis, my roommate was awesome enough to go to the Claudio Faina museum with me. It was started by a Conte Faina with a gift of several Etruscan vases from Napoleon's niece; he then passed it on to his son Eugenio, who left it to his brother Claudio, who moved it to Orvieto and opened it to the public. It includes a staggering collection of old coins and figurines, some of them in very good condition, and a whole catalog of other artifacts, some of which came from the Necropolis. I don't have any pictures, but if you ever get the chance to go to Orvieto, that is definitely a place to see.

Day 7 - The Necropolis

Necropolis is Greek for "the city of the dead." There are two of them in the area around Orvieto, and we visited one. The Etruscans laid out their cemeteries to look like cities - hence the name - because, according to Dr. F., they believed any city they built for the dead would correspond with a city in the afterlife. We went in the afternoon, and it was spooky. I would never walk down there at night!

Pictures:

See the weird ribbing in the ceiling?

This one had such a steep entrance that I was the only one brave enough to go in.

Day 2 - Epiphany

After getting back to Orvieto from Arezzo, we got to see the beautiful Epiphany celebration in Orvieto, which included a live manger, samples of hot wine (which we, unfortunately, were not allowed to try - I am coming back sometime when my school doesn't prohibit alcohol sampling) and a live choir. It began with a procession going through the streets to the manger scene, which the crowd follows. A little later, the procession of the Wise Men comes, since Epiphany is the celebration of the Wise Men's arrival - the Gentile Christmas. In Italy, we were told several times, Epiphany is as important as Christmas in America.

Pictures: 

Day 3 - Orvieto's Duomo

Afternoon of Day 3, we went inside the glorious cathedral. Inside, the walls are striped much like the outside.

There are two side chapels, and we listened to a lecture by Dr. Skillen in one of them. The inside shows a fresco cycle of the end times and then judgment day, but the ceiling shows Heaven after Judgment Day. Four of the panels show part of the liturgy called the Te Deum Laudamus, which translates, "We praise You, oh Lord." Four of the lines go, "The glorious company of the Apostles praise thee; The goodly fellowship of the Prophets praise thee; the noble army of martyrs praise thee; the holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee." The ceiling over the altar in the chapel showed these lines.