Yesterday (Saturday, 8th of February), my friends/roommates and I headed off to this little town in the countryside of Italy called Orvieto. Resting on a hill, this town looks over a beautiful valley, filled with old houses, a castle in the distance, cows and horses, and it also had a fortified wall protecting itself from sieges (back in the day).
Waking up in the early morning right next to the birds chirping, the 7 of us headed off to catch the bus that would take us to the train station. We waited for a little before getting on the (thankfully) on-time and right bus and we were on the way to the Roma Termini station. Prior to this trip, we had gotten bus tickets, which is supposed to validate on the bus, but weirdly enough our bus didn’t have one. So, last ditch effort, I tapped my card on the “tap and go” screen. However, once we got to the train station, the security stopped our bus and checked our tickets (to which I learned not everyone had tapped their card on the reader). This is what started the laughs of the trip. Laughing at the misfortune, and the $50 fine that followed. While it was disappointing and difficult, it was another learning opportunity; either validate your ticket (get a stamp on it) or use ‘tap to pay.’
However, even though my friends got some fines, we were on our way to Orvieto with spirits still high. We eventually got on the train and headed to this little Medieval town. After 2 hours on the train, we then took a cable car up to the top of the hill.
The views were gorgeous. With the valley being a little foggy/hazey, it contributed to the most gorgeous view with different gradients of mountain and rolling hills. Cows, horses, and birds in the distance were the perfect start to our time in Orvieto. The weather was cloudy and provided the perfect ambiance to this town. We started our walk in search of a cafe and a breakfast, and once we got that, we started wondering around and seeing what Orvieto had to offer. We wondered through the cobblestone streets, past watchful cats and plant-covered balconies, until we made it to the cathedral.
Bri had somehow acquired the biggest map possible and used it every occasion we got to try and point us in the right direction. Walking up to the Orvieto cathedral was…odd. The front of the cathedral was beautiful, but honestly, the rest of the building was a little creepy and off in some way. It wasn’t the picture of an average Cathedral. The sides of the building were painted in white and blue faded stripes, while the back had streaks of red (like spilled paint), which honestly looked very creepy. The front of the cathedral, however, was very pretty. With intricately painted pictures and gold accents, the cathedral was certainly unique. Going inside, the cathedral continued to focus on detail by the alter and the rooms to the side.
After admiring the cathedral, we took to the town again and did some more exploring, but this time in the caves underneath the town. Bri and I had watched As Above So Below previous to this trip, and we kept saying how we might be in the movie and how the eeriness of the caves was just that of the movie. Nevertheless, it was so fun to explore the caves with friends and make jokes about where we would put furniture if we were to live here as vampires.
Now, while the day was fun, we had to get lunch eventually, to which we found a spot with amazing burgers. While sitting down and waiting for our food, Bri had asked our 2 new friends (her hometown friends) what our names were. Abby had the idea of giving hints to Zach to help him remember our names, to which for Ella she gave the hint of cinder (like the Disney princess, Cinderella), at this point he also knew her name started with ‘E’ and was four letters. Immediately, without hesitation he said “cinderblock.” Well, now that was new nickname for Ella. It was so hilarious that everyone had to stop what they were doing and stop looking at each-other in an attempt to stop laughing. When it was my turn, Abby gave the hint “Mamma” for Mamma Mia, to which Zach, again, without hesitation said “Mama-cita.” To say the least, it’s now Ella and my new nicknames.
After the hilarious lunch, we started to look for souvenirs, to which I found the most perfect ceramic magnet and little bowl for my jewelry. They’re bright yellow and decorated with Italian lemons and olives with cursive on the bottom titling ‘Orvieto.’ Along with a postcard, it was the perfect souvenir and gift.
The clouds had taken a turn, and it had also started raining a bit. The silent streets, with fresh gardens, and the cobblestone had brought the most amazing atmosphere, and the rain was the cherry on top. Even though some say rain ruins things, to me, it made this trip even better. We walked through the streets, dodging puddles and exploring new churches (there was one on every corner)! After we came out of one, the slanted cobblestone steps (adorned with some moss) had made a slide for Zach. He slipped on his way down in a comedic way. We all burst out laughing after making sure he was okay. After, he tricked us by faking to slip on other streets and we would turn around every-time, laugh-yelling at him to stop tricking us.
Before heading back to the cable car and down to the train, we stopped at a special spiral well. Again, Bri and I compared it to some horror movies; As Above So Below, and In The Tall Grass. Walking down the well took about 15 minutes and Luke and Zach had scared us on numerous occasions by hiding in small alcoves in the wall, waiting for us to approach. It was so interesting though, at one point Luke had pointed out that voices carried. While we were talking to each-other (Luke had sped up the stairs), it had sounded like he was just around the corner, when in reality he was 2 floors up.
The well itself was pretty cool, and it was interesting to get to the bottom and see the clear rainwater it collected. It then took about 15 more minutes to walk up the many flights of stairs (or circles? it was a spiral staircase). After that ‘hike’ we made it back to the cable car, complaining how it had gotten so cold, and started our journey back home to Rome.
The train back was silent, with everyone taking ‘brain breaks’ or sleeping. Orvieto had taken all our energy, but it was the perfect day trip from Rome, and even better with friends! To whoever is studying abroad, I highly endorse taking day trips to better your knowledge with the country you’re living in. While traveling to new countries is fun, day trips around your home country also give new experiences and memories, and surely, my time in Orvieto will be one to remember.
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