Thursday, October 21, 2010

Another day in Orvieto, Italy


Our first group activity this morning was a stop at La Bottega del Tortellini, a small pasta shop where the locals come to buy for their households. Three ladies work all day to keep the town supplied with a fresh product.


Then, off to the traveling market which spends Wednesday in Orvieto from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. We wandered among vegetables, household sundries and clothes. Scarves, it seemed, were the order of the day - five of my fellow travelers and I purchased these colorful accessories, draping them for each other and admiring the results. I am not a scarf person, but yielded to the serendipity of travel.

Our luncheon pizza was a thin, crisp support for fresh mushrooms, olives and beef - unadorned by the tomato sauce we see in the States. We ate it with a big bowl of bean soup. Delicious!

In the afternoon we walked to the other end of town and descended into St. Patrick's well. This multistory structure has two staircases in a double helix pattern - one for descent and one for ascent. Hundreds of years ago, donkeys and humans could go about their water-gathering activities with increased safety. The stairs are wide and shallow, the semidarkness now augmented by low wattage lighting.










Art then attended a cooking class while I took a nap.

Our multi-course dinner featured truffles sliced thinly over pasta, singing and laughter. Our group has coalesced quickly!

6 comments:

#1Nana said...

There is no way you would get me in that well! You are brave. I'd love to shop for scarves with you. I'm ready for a trip to Italy.

Linda Reeder said...

It's great to visit the real places that the locals frequent, as well as the tourist stops. Where was the cooking class?

Linda Myers said...

The class had been scheduled for someplace in town, but got rescheduled. It was in the basement of our hotel, and our Italian guide was the instructor.

Arkansas Patti said...

Love your choice in scarves.
How great that Art is taking the cooking class. A man in an apron is a beautiful thing.

Nancy/BLissed-Out Grandma said...

Oh my, it sounds wonderful. Love the scarves, too.

Cheryl Kohan said...

It DOES sound wonderful. Except for descending into the well. Nope. Couldn't have done that.

You have really managed to capture the essence of the country...the photos are really, really good!