From Tourist Central to Hidden Gem

Day 3 – From Chris’ Perspective

I awoke this morning to the sound of thousands of birds, so I pulled open the kitchen doors and opened the green shutters and it looked like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”, only Italian style! The sky was filled with hundreds of swallows, doves and a brownish type of crow. It was a spectacular sight, but a little on the creepy side just because of the sheer number of birds in flight…not something you see every day.

View from our balcony by day – Casa Ariodante, Perugia, Italy

Driving to Orvieto was beautiful. We followed along the river through a picturesque valley that opened up to a spectacular lake. I wanted to stop and take pictures, but for miles, it was a 2 lane road, winding along the cliffs with guardrails on one side and mountain walls on the other. Throw in continuous hair-pin turns and crazy Italian drivers and you will understand why there are no photos. I still think my knuckles are white!

Orvieto was a little more “touristy” than expected…There is something wrong with beautiful Etruscan buildings filled with plate glass windows selling Gucci & Prada…There were very few artisans or local products….but if you wanted a Riviera  bikini, you had 4 shops to choose from.

Now, don’t misunderstand….I would not have missed this, but it just wasn’t what I had expected.

The Orvieto duomo was breathtaking! The scale alone, was massive, but the details were so intricate. To realize that every beam in the 60+ foot ceiling is painted with a pattern, each stone column was over 10 feet around and topped with a different carved top and are striped with alternating layers of alabaster & travertine giving the interior a black & white striped effect, the walls were frescoes with paintings and patterns…It was so amazing. The chapel had the most marvelous paintings I have ever seen. The expressions & the details were truly indescribable…Dave & I just stood there in awe!

Here is the close up detail and then you can see how that multiplies up the facade of the duomo.

Outside, we were taking pictures of the facade of the duomo, when someone announced “Orvieto Undergound Tour in English”, so we figured “What the heck”…grabbed our tickets and joined the group. Really glad we did! We went into just two of the caverns, but there are over 1,200 in Orvieto. We learned about making the olive oil and using it for fuel and we learned about the pigeon caves that they created because in the Etruscan times they were a valuable food source….Think about it…..They feed themselves by flying out the windows provided, have babies every 28 days and taste like chicken! The ultimate renewable food source for them.

At 2:30 pm, we had an appointment at La Carraia to tour the family winery and taste through the wines. The winemaker’s English was limited, but he and Dave talked their common language “Wine”. The whites were very beautiful. We bought a bottle of Orvieto Classico 2013 (a blend of 3 white grapes grown on their estate). The highlight for Dave is when he opened his 2005 Reserve Bordeaux blend…Dave was able to buy a 2003 of this one to take home ( Fobiano 2003). We also bought a bottle of their crisp, citrusy  Grechetto, but it didn’t make it home because that was my wine to sip on every night on our balcony.

After La Carraia, we headed off to Civita di Bagnoregio…also know in Italian as il paese che muore (“the town that is dying”). A hilltop town built on friable volcanic tuff and the town is eroding away. They no longer allow motor vehicles and the only way to get there is a long, steep foot bridge. The town only has 14 full time residents, but what cool people! We stopped at a cafe piccolo run by a gentleman that still makes his own olive oil (in the same spot where his family has made it the same way for over 500 years) He made us bruschetta with artichoke, tomato, prosciutto, black truffle and his olive oil – toasted in his brick oven….absolutely delicious!

We explored every square inch of the town and took pictures from every possible angle, bought a few souvenirs and then reluctantly left…

We kept turning around and staring at Civita, not wanting to leave because the town just felt “magical”. People so proud of their homes, but knowing that someday it will all crumble to the valley floor.

A view of the other mountains in this same range…you can see how they are eroding away.

Driving home, we went through Lubriano admiring the small town, when suddenly we were able to see Civita from a distance. We stopped and took some pictures that help you see this amazing dying city from a whole new perspective.

After a busy day of playing tourists, Dave and I went on a search through old town Perugia, near our apartment looking for bread, cheese & salami for an easy dinner at home. We walked through the piazza and there were people everywhere…Tents and tables were set up down the center of the street and live music was playing with people milling around or sitting on the duomo stairs…You can tell this is a college town and this piazza is the place to be seen. We finally found our makings for dinner and headed home for a picnic on our balcony with a nice glass of Orvieto Classico…..It’s a really good night!