Orvieto is unbelievable. If Walt Disney knew what this town looked like, he would need to romanticize American portrayals of Italy even more. Everything about this place, from how and when the people eat, how they interact in community, to waking up, looking out the window and realizing you're on the edge of a cliff surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, mountains and little country villas, has surpassed what I was expecting.
I have finally settled into my room:
My bed is tucked in the corner behind the dresser. I have to finagle my way in and out every morning and evening, but I am in Italy, so it's okay. Also, our whole living area is an IKEA catalog.If you have any more specific questions about where and how I am living, ask, and I will gladly answer.
Rome.
We went to Rome for the day yesterday. It was quite amazing. Our first stop was an early Roman art museum. We saw things like this:
(This was painted in the first century B.C.! These techniques were completely lost until the Renaissance. It is unbelievable that this degree of realism can be found in paintings this old)And these:
After the art museum, we had the most phenomenal gelato a human can make with his mortal, imperfect hands. It is the closest to perfection we as the human race have ever come.
Then, we walked to the Parthenon.
The most impressive part about the Parthenon is the ceiling.
Then there were the ruins of ancient Rome, the Colosseum, and La Bascilica Di Maria Maggiore. I'm sure pictures of those will show up somewhere at some point.
Well, that's all the time I have for right now. I hope you are all doing well. Please don't hesitate to contact me about anything, or just to say hi.
-John
Looks like an awesome time! I miss you bud
ReplyDeleteLove you Johnny. What's IKEA/gelloto?
ReplyDeleteHi my sweet son! If you can believe it, I arrived in Rome on the 6th, the day after you were there, and stayed at a hotel right in the Piazza del Pantheon for two nights. It was such a wonderful spot. We had big windows that opened wide and we could listen to all of the music, etc... while we were in our room which wasn't for long because we spent our days walking to all of the spots Bonnie hadn't seen earlier on our cruise tour. We walked to the Spanish Steps, over to Piazza Navona and weaved our way to the Trevi Fountain, shopping, eating that wonderful Gelato, Cannoli's, pasta, wine and just enjoying all of the fantastic architecture and art everywhere! Now you know why I love Italy so much. The Pantheon is one of my favorite buildings because of the dome, which is one reason why I chose that location for our hotel.
ReplyDeleteI ran into Dad's cousins Linda and Sandra on the first day! They were sitting in an outdoor cafe as we were walking by. What are the odds of seeing someone you know in Rome on any given Saturday :-)... We wound up having dinner with them on our last night. BTW, we drove past Orvieto on the train from Rome to Venice so I did get a peek anyways at the beautiful town you are staying in.
I miss you so much but I'm glad you are where you are and know you will enjoy every moment of your time there.
Love,
Mom