Day Six: Orvieto

When we woke up we had a beautiful breakfast waiting for us, we all stalked up on food knowing that we had a long day ahead of us. We were excited for the adventures that Orvieto had in store.

Located in the Umbrian region, Orvieto is mostly situated on flat grounds. The city used to be surrounded by large walls to protect from war and struggle but today you can see the remains of the destroyed walls in the town. Orvieto is seen as a very important city because of its prominence in the middle ages and it later became a part of the Papal States. Orvieto was historically under papal rule until 1860 and is a common destination among tourists for its vast history and beauty.

The first destination in Orvieto was St. Patrick’s Well, it was building the 16^th century when Pope Clement V11 fled and took refuge in Orvieto. The Pope was worried the city would be seiged and ordered the construction of 3 wells, one being the well of St. Patrick’s. The well received its name from the servants of Mary would tell visitors stories about St. Patrick and was given the strange nickname. The well was about 63 meters deep with double helix staircase and 248 steps. We were given an opportunity to go into the well however I had to decline due to severe asthma. I was able to marvel however at such a beautiful piece of history and watch my classmates ascend from the tunnel!

After our visit to the well the group headed toward the city center to see the Duomo. The Duomo was stricking and was very different from the other buildings surrounding it. It had 4 pillars that symbolized the gospel and the Holy Trinity. Construction began in 1290 and was originally supposed to be a small church. In 1308 Lorenzo Maitani wanted to redesign it to look more like Tuscan churches. In 1330 Maitani passed away and the construction was passed onto another architect from Florence. His main touch on the Duomo is the center rose window which represents God’s perfection. Part of the Duomo was left unfinished due to lack of funds and is a very unique combination of Gothic and Roman styles.

In addition, the Duomo also contains beautiful frescoes of the Last Judgment from Luca Signorelli. These frescoes were inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy and our guide took a significant amount of time explaining each scene of the fresco in order. This was really helpful to better understand the frescoes and the symbolism in each scene. I was so impressed and in awe of the frescoes, such detail and meaning in one ceiling was just breathtaking. It was a great opportunity to be able to see Signorelli’s frescoes in person!

After the tour we had free time to explore and eat some lunch. I sat and had a wonderful long lunch with my friends and did some minimal shopping. Orvieto seems like a beautiful city and I’d love to return and explore again!

 Once everyone gathered back together we left for Cantina Peppucci to experience a wonderful wine tasting. We met with Lorenzo Landi and one of his co-workers who explained the process he takes to make his wines and the specific grapes used in each product. In total we tasted 3 wines and learned that the wine production starts in October so we were unable to see the physical process of creating the wines. The first wine we tasted was a white wine named Montorsolo. This wine was made of 100% Grechetto di Todi and was a light yellow color. I quite enjoyed this wine which was strange for me because I usually do not enjoy whites. We paired it with small appetizers like salami, cheese and bread with rosemary. The next wine was called the Giovanni. This wine was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot and was quite beautiful. The Giovanni was a red wine that we learned should be paired with game and matured cheeses. And last, but not least, there was the Alter Ego which is made with 100% Sangrantino grapes. It was a deep red wine that should be paired with matured cheeses, game and red meat. The Alter Ego had by far the highest alcohol percentage and was a little too strong for my taste. I loved both the Montorsolo and Giovanni and the wonderful food and sunset over the rolling hills. A beautiful ending to a great day.