O is for Orvieto

Come with me this week to Orvieto, one of my favourite places to see in Italy. Located just outside of the border of Tuscany, it is found in Umbria at the top of a huge chunk of volcanic rock (tufo) just off the freeway between Florence and Rome. We drove up narrow roads and through narrow alleyways to our hotel, which was in the center of the old town. A short walk took us to the Duomo and the Archaeological Museum. Both were fascinating to see!
We also toured the caves beneath the town. Orvieto is honeycombed with Etruscan and medieval caves where you can see an old olive press, two impressive 130-foot-deep well shafts, and the remains of a primitive cement quarry. This underground city boasts tunnels, galleries, wells, stairs, quarries, cellars, unexpected passageways, cisterns, superimposed rooms with numerous small niches, detailing its creation over the centuries. (from Wikipedia) You can only see this area with guides and it's definitely worth it to go check it out. In 2008, I wrote about the caves here.
The other truly fascinating place to visit here is the Necropolis. We wound our way down the mighty cliff to meet our guide at the end of our descent. Here we found an ancient burial site formed like a "town." The necropolis...is made up of a series of small chamber tombs, aligned along the burial "roads". The arrangement of the tombs, which follows a definite "town" plan, provides precious elements for the study of the layout for the ancient city. Built from blocks of tuff, the entrance lintels of the tombs are inscribed with the name of the deceased. The earliest excavations in the 19th century yielded important artifacts...(from here)
One free afternoon, I wandered the narrow streets of Orvieto, taking photos of things that caught my eye. There was a wooden wall sculpture depicting the story of Pinocchio, a Trojan horse, a cow, a mythological creature, hanging baskets, and windows holding potted plants. If the slide show doesn't work properly like last week, simply click on the picture and you'll be taken to a new screen. Then click "full screen" and you'll be able to see the pictures for sure. Enjoy!

Without a doubt, this was one of the highlights of my month-long stay in Italy! I highly recommend visiting Orvieto and staying a minimum of 2 or 3 days in order to experience everything it has to offer.
ABC Wednesday is brought to you by the outstanding Mrs. Nesbitt and her team of organizers. We're in our fourth year now and would love for others to join in and contribute their poetry, prose, photographs or artwork - actually anything you'd like to share! Check us out here!