After having arranged our August vacation at my aunt's house in Salerno, we decided to drive there, stopping in a few places on the way. After a night in Florence, the next day we drove to Umbria and stopped in the town of Orvieto. We booked an Airbnb, and after reaching the city center parked our car and left the luggage in the accommodation. Once finished unpacking, we headed out to explore the city. We started by visiting the nearby 12th-century church of Sant'Andrea, with an interesting decagonal bell tower. Walking along the main street, Corso Cavour, which cuts the town from west to east, we reached the eastern end where the Rocca Albornoziana is located. Partly in ruins, with some walls and a tower still standing, the castle now holds a pretty garden with a nice view over the surrounding landscape. Right next to the gardens we then visited the incredible Pozzo di San Patrizio, a very deep well with an impressive double helix ramp that allowed mules to carry empty and full water vessel up and down without obstructing each other. After the visit, we headed back into the city and stopped to visit the Church of San Domenico, a 13th-century gothic building. A little further along the streets, we encountered another 13th-century gothic building, the Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo, which was used for local administration during the medieval times. From there we then finally headed to visit the main attraction of the area: the Cathedral. This impressive Romanesque building, started during the 13th century and completed during the 16th century, features an impressively decorated facade and an even more impressive interior, particularly when considering the extraordinary renaissance chapel of San Brizio. After my parents decided to relax a little, I went to visit the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo alone. Inside were several gothic altars, paintings, objects, and artifacts. I also visited the nearby Emilio Greco museum, with sculptures by that artist. After that, I went back to pick up my parents and we all headed to the Grotte della Rupe. There, we had a really nice guided tour which took us on what is known as Orvieto underground, basically, an underground city which has been used as housing, wells, ceramic ovens, quarries and even as pigeon coops. After the tour, we headed back to the Airbnb as we were quite tired after seeing so many things. However, I still decided to explore further, by heading to the western part of town where the small church of San Giovenale is located. Built during the 11th century, it contains precious frescoes from the 13th and 14th centuries. After seeing the church, I admired the beautiful view of the surrounding landscaped valleys and hills by walking on top of the steep walls which circled that part of the city. Returning back to the Airbnb I rested a bit too alongside my parents. We rested a while and then headed out to have dinner, at a place called La Pergola. After a tasty and filling dinner, we headed back and went to sleep. The next day, after waking up at a decent time we headed into the city to have breakfast at a nearby cafe. After eating we then visited and climbed up the Torre del Moro, one of the many medieval towers of the city, in this case functioning as the town's clock tower which gave us a perfect view over all the town center. Once back down at street level, we walked throughout the medieval streets once more before finally stopping at the restaurant Al Pozzo Etrusco for lunch. We had some really tasty dishes and were pleasantly satisfied despite the scorching temperatures which were occurring those days, It was then time to check out and leave as we headed to get our car and drive in the southern direction. On the way, we stopped in the small town of Civita di Bagnoregio, located in the Lazio region. This town is famous all over due to its striking position atop a plateau of tuff which has suffered erosion and constant crumbles giving the nickname of "The Dying City" to the town. After parking our car we headed to the town, and to our surprise, found out we had to pay a fee to enter the center. I was a bit shocked and annoyed by this but in the end still proceeded with the visit as we were already there. After buying the ticket, we crossed the only bridge connecting the town to the "mainland" and started walking through the old medieval streets. After seeing the small town, and visiting the only church, we headed back to the car. The town was without a doubt very pretty yet not so different from other towns in the Tuscia area, which however do not require an entrance fee. After getting in the car we finally drove towards Salerno reaching it after a few hours.
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| The Cathedral of Orvieto |
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| View from the Torre del Moro |
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| The town of Civita di Bagnoregio |
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