The massive Orvieto duomo, begun 1290
On Monday we all piled into the cars and headed to Orvieto for the day. Orvieto features a massive cathdral built in alternating courses of travertine limestone and basalt. The west facade is covered in very detailed carvings.
West facade carvings
Facade carving detail
Like several other Umbrian towns, Orvieto has an extensive underground; in fact, every house has a cave beneath it that residents typically use for a wine cellar or cool storage --there are some 1200 in total. Etruscan slaves dug out the caves originally as defense against siege - a common pastime in the Middle Ages in this part of the world. The Etruscans kept pigeons for food and used the guano for fertilizer. The pigeons could fly out of the hillside caves during the day, and come back to sleep in the carved pigeon holes at night.
Pigeon holes
Of course they had also hand dug wells, some 60 meters deep, with footholds on either side where the diggers climbed up and down.
Well shaft.
We ate lunch at Il Pozzo Etrusco. My antipasto alone was a three course appetizer of bruschetta, meat and cheese, and little lasagnes. For pasta I had tortellini carbonara, and enjoyed grilled hare skewers for the main course. One of our group did order the pigeon stuffed with plums and pine nuts, and it was delicious. I may have gained 5 pounds in 5 days in Italy.
Monastery below Orvieto
Dinner in Amelia
Monday evening, we drove to the nearby hill town of Amelia. We parked in the new town and entered through pre-Roman walls, walking up cobblestone streets to il Baronetto for nourishment.
We never made it to dinner: with our drinks, they brought cold cuts…brachiola, mortadella, umbrian prosciutto. There were plates of cheeses with blackcurrant jam. Borage dipped in tempura batter and quick-fried. Cold cornbread with cheese and meat bits. Of course there were olives, and the saltless bread typical of Umbria (in the 1500s, the Pope levied a tax on salt, and Umbrians continue their defiance to this day).
Everyone we met in Italy was highly aware of food allergies, and Judy became quite an expert at advising her waiters “io sono allergico alle noce ed all uove.” Though there was plenty she could eat on the table, the owner made her a special plate of anchovies in oil with capers and onion. I was plenty willing to help her out with that. Our waiter Fabio and the owner Carlos turned out to be very hospitable, and we enjoyed their company. Fabio took us to the medieval kitchen and showed us the various fire places, ovens, and the ancient cistern.
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