Orvieto – Day 2

Sleeping well in Orvieto with windows open for the nice cool breeze, despite outdoor noise which can go on till midnight (conversations and street noise) then starts again at 6am. Strangely enough, it’s not bothering us… we are sleeping through it.

We started a load of wash to start organizing for our departure tomorrow. Dave and Linda took a walk to a cafe at 09:30 to use their internet, get a caffe and a croissant. We sat at an outside table and smelled sauce and pasta cooking. We were there about an hour to get our internet stuff done and send the blog out.

Back at the house, we hung up all the laundry (like they do here in Italy – low humidity so dries fast even on racks in the house; hang it outside in the breeze and it could be dry in an hour!).

Then it was time to walk again so all four of us headed to the other side of Orvieto, about 45 minutes time, and over by the top of the funicular. We took some photos, stopped in a shop selling custom shoes only to find that the owner’s wife was from Columbus Ohio and went to school at Warren Wilson College near Black Mountain, NC!

Our room at Jim and Anne’s is through the window in the top center

Orvieto architecture

Orvieto Theater

Orvieto street

Leg of cinghiale (wild boar)

Orvieto street

Plants and vines

Linda in custom leather shop in Orvieto (Hannah in background received her MFA at Warren Wilson College in Swanannoa, NC – about 30 minutes from our house)

Orvieto street

Linda, Jim, and Anne on a street in Orvieto

We headed back after taking pictures at the top of the summit and stopped for lunch at The Palace where we had pizza and beer. The fun here was the discussion we all had about our Italian relatives – we laughed and learned and even disagreed some! We’re all thinking about our trip next week to a small town southeast of Rome where Dave’s and Jim’s great-grandmother is from. Stay tuned.

Entrance to park near funicular

Orvieto’s wall and cities in the valley

Communities and land surrounding Orvieto

Communities and land surrounding Orvieto

Communities and land surrounding Orvieto

Today’s lunch consisted of two types of pizza and two types of beer

Today’s setting for lunch

Jim and Dave at lunch

Beer and pizza

On our way back to the apartment, we stopped at the Church of St. Joseph.

Jim, Anne, and Dave on a street in Orvieto

St. Joseph’s church in Orvieto

St. Joseph’s church in Orvieto

St. Joseph’s church in Orvieto

Five thousand steps later we are back at the house for more laundry detail and our packing for several days in Rome.

Anne planned a friends get together for 18:00. We went to the bar where Jim and Anne met all these people when they arrived earlier this year. We enjoyed the conversation and understand even more why Jim and Anne enjoy it here.  We took a short walk to the edge of the wall to capture some sunset pictures.

Time with Jim, Anne and some of their friends at the Blu Bar

Orvieto sunset

Daline (South African that works for UN) and Anne overlooking the valley below Orvieto

Orvieto sunset

Orvieto sunset

Orvieto sunset

Dave’s Gin and Tonic enjoying the beautiful sunset

Orvieto sunset

Sunset in Orvieto

After a little more time at with friends we left to get some takeaway dinner at a restaurant run by a Ukrainian couple.  We had sandwiches and pasta.  It was a nice meal to end the day.

Tomorrow, we head to Rome late in the morning.