When I was a little girl, I spent a lot of time outdoors, often by myself. I remember sitting in our backyard, hypnotized by the towering mountains around me and the smell of the Earth. It's been a long time since I've done that... and yet, today I spent a quiet hour in Orvieto with the view above as my inspiration!
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| Look to the far right...see that flat hill with the city on it? |
Today was the coolest and breeziest of the days! After an hour and a half on the bus, we arrived in Orvieto, an incredible city that was built on volcanic rock left over from thousands of years ago. The rock seems to rise straight up and the cliffs are nearly flat surfaces.
To get up to the city, we had to take a tram car, the actual ride felt completely vertical.
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| The rock that the tram traveled through |
The first item on our agenda was breakfast. We went to a small bar and I ordered a doughnut-like item covered in coarse sugar and a caffe e crema freddo- an iced coffee drink. Yummy! Then, we walked across the street to this church--San Dominico.
The cardinal Braye has his tomb in the church. It is a masterpiece of gothic art (and as one of the professors pointed out, a common piece in art history textbooks).
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| Braye's Tomb, notice the two figures pulling the curtains closed/open |
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| Is he closing or opening the curtain? We spent some time debating the issue! |
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| This Mary figure was once the god Juno (or maybe Ceres). She was repurposed by the artist and then given Christ to hold. |
There were a few stunning images in the church:
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| Wood statue of Mary with Christ |
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| A painful to behold crucified Christ with flagellation wounds |
After leaving San Dominico, we saw this plaque on the wall: another quote from Dante, this time a reference to the fighting Montagues (Montecchi) and Capulets (Capelletti).
The Duomo in Orvieto was created by Sienese craftsmen which is why it bears such a strong similarity to the duomo here in Siena. The facade of the building is extremely ornate, with mosaics and broze statues, as well as beautifully carved columns.
The huge columns (which you see can see- look at the four large carved pieces toward the bottom of the facade) each told a different Biblical "story." The first was of Genesis; in the pic to the right, you can see Adam and Eve and the serpent's temptation. Below, you see my favorite scenes, God removing a rib from Adam and Eve being born (literally) from Adam's side.
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| Luke |
Four large brass statues adorned the facade as well; these were the symbolic images of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
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| Mark |
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| John |
After a day of neck-breaking (almost literally) fresco study, we were given the afternoon to explore the city. There was delicious lasagna bolognese, cold water, and the best caffe gelato! Then, I spent an hour at an overlook just enjoying Italy!
My time on the outlook reminded me of a Howard poem:
"Alas! so all things now do hold their peace,
Heaven and earth disturbed in no thing;
The beasts, the air, the birds their song do cease..."
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| A Monastery located near Orvieto |
The huge columns (which you see can see- look at the four large carved pieces toward the bottom of the facade) each told a different Biblical "story." The first was of Genesis; in the pic to the right, you can see Adam and Eve and the serpent's temptation. Below, you see my favorite scenes, God removing a rib from Adam and Eve being born (literally) from Adam's side.
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