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From the previous page
<< "some notes about
Orvieto"...
. . .
Orvieto is a favorite tourist spot for Italian visitors, and what attracts
them most is Orvieto's spectacular cathedral (duomo). It was built to
celebrate the miracle of Bolsena, a miracle that precipitated the
Feast of
Corpus Christi in the Catholic Church. It took two centuries to complete
the cathedral, and it is one of Italy's gems.
Take time to take in the
Brizi Chapel, one of the most beautifully painted chapels in all of Europe.
Look at Luca Signorelli's fresco of the Last Judgment, a painting from
which Michelangelo drew inspiration for his painting in the Sistine Chapel
in the Vatican. When you enter or leave, stop outside and examine the
carvings of The Creation and
The Last Judgment. You won't see such
exquisite decorative sculptures anywhere else.
When I spend several months in Orvieto, one of the things I appreciate
most is the wide array of cultural events going on. Apart from the
celebrated jazz festival they have every year between Christmas and New
Year's, Orvieto is alive with music and theater throughout the year.
The
Teatro Mancinelli is one of the loveliest theaters in all of Italy, and
seldom does a week go by that a major performance is being put on there.
This past year my wife and I enjoyed a series of ten classical concerts,
featuring some of the best musicians in Italy, and we paid a few euros for
each concert. The night before we left Orvieto we were treated to a
performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons in the Duomo performed by the Rome
Philharmonic. And this concert was free!
If you enjoy Italian cuisine, Orvieto will not disappoint you. I had
always heard that Bologna had the best cooking in all of Italy, but I
think Umbria is right there in the same class.
Each section of Italy has
its own pasta, and in Orvieto ombricchelli is the featured attraction.
Order it with grated truffles on top and you'll think you are in heaven
rather than in Italy. I shouldn't have to mention the wine, but I will in
case you haven't heard about it. Orvieto Classico is simply the best white
wine in Italy and a bottle of it at a local store will set you back about
five euros. In addition, a really well kept secret is how good Umbrian red
wine is. We eat out at least once or twice a week and we eat better and
cheaper than we ever do in the states. Try La Palomba or La Pergola for
great Orvietan cooking and then stop in the kitchen and compliment the
chef.
Since we have been going back to Orvieto for four years now, we have made
many friends there. We had been told that the Orvietans perhaps were a
little stiff, a little closed to foreigners. Don't believe it! All the
small shop owners know us and greet us with warm smiles. Rarely do we walk
through town without a "salve" from one of the locals. When I stop in the
Bar Duomo, the owner Marino, along with his wife Gabriella and daughter
Donatella, welcome me with warmth and humor.
On a leisurely day, there is
nothing like stopping for a hot cappuccino or a glass of Marino's own
Orvieto Classico. If you stay in Orvieto for a week or two and return to
any of the restaurants a second time, you will be greeted like a long lost
friend. It's good Orvieto is a walking city so you can indulge yourself
with the pastas and desserts.
Finally, be sure that you stay overnight in Orvieto. The town takes on its
own character after five o'clock. Between Piazza della Republica and
Piazza Duomo, you will become part of the best passeggiata
in Italy. It
seems that the entire town comes out to enjoy a stroll through the quiet
streets. Even better is to walk through the medieval section after you
have eaten dinner. The yellow street lights cast a golden hue over the
cobblestones and the tufa stone, and without much effort you can imagine
yourself back in the twelth century. Off in the distance you might see a
train hustling its way up to Florence, or better still, you will hear the
solemn bells of San Giovenale ringing their special Orvieto welcome for
you.
Enjoy the moment, for you won't find it anywhere else.`
Orvieto travel notes by Lorenzo R...s
Orvieto : getting
there :
By Train :
The closest railway station is Orvieto Scalo:
Train schedules
By air : International flights to Rome or
Pisa - Domestic flights to Perugia
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