Day 6 – Orvieto, Bagnoreggio

(My spellchecker is going nuts right now with all these Italian names)
Orvieto is a small city, built on a plateau just south of Umbria. It has massive cliffs all around the city that make it into a natural fortress. The city was first settled in the Etruscan times and was fought over for years after that. As a fortress, it was impenetrable except for one weakness- the town had no water supply on top of the hill. The Romans realized the value of this fortress and took it from the Etruscans after a two year seige. After the times of Constantinople, it became a refuge for the pope in case Rome was in danger. To solve the water supply, the Romans dug a well 400 feet deep and 20 feet across. The well had two spiral staircases around the edge that allowed donkeys to go down one stairway, get loaded with water at the bottom, and return up the other stairway. You can still walk down the well and see the water at the bottom. There is always about five feet of water at the bottom, no matter how much or how little raain has fallen. Also, it is always between 50-55 degrees down there.
The duomo in Orvieto is simply amazing. The blocks for the outside wall were laid in alternating white and black colored blocks, giving it a striped appearance. The front facade is Gothic with unbelievable carvings and decorations. The inside was not disappointing either.
We also went into the Orvieto underground. There are close to 1800 tunnels under the ground in Orvieto where the Etruscans, then later the Romans, then later the medieval Orvietans had storage and workshops. They also had pigeon coops underground, open to the cliff wall. This would provide them with a renewable source of food in case of seige.
After Orvieto, we made a quick stop at Bagnoreggio which is also called "the city that is dying." The city, like Orvieto, was built on a hill. Unlike Orvieto, it was built on sandstone which is eroding. Over time, as the side of the cliffs collapse, houses are lost into the valley. The Di Bagnos have recognized a visible difference each time they visit. The city is taking precautions to slow the process, but most likely it will all eventually fall away.
Tonight we had another adventure. The Di Bagnos next door neighbors hosted us for an enormous meal. We started with some bread with patte and some olives. Our second dish was penne in a spicy red sauce (I learned to eat slow; if I finished a plate too soon, it would be filled back up immediately). Our third dish was chicken legs in the same red sauce. Our fourth dish was a salad with "the best olive oil in the world" on it; I was inclined to believe it, too. Our fifth dish was a roasted chicken with a ton of spices on it; of course, no knife was needed to cut any meat. Finally we had some sort of pie for dessert. The whole meal lasted two and a half hours. The hostess apologized for the meal being "so simple." Whatever. It was bennisimo!