(Orvieto, Italy)

While Orvieto may not be well-known in North America, it is definitely not undiscovered.  A significant number of tourists (often as part of tour groups) stop in for a morning or afternoon to visit this ancient town on a hill.  When they do, the first (and often only) stop is the Duomo (Cathedral).

The Duomo is huge, considering the small size of the town, but this  used to be quite an important place. Popes would often take refuge here.  However, the Duomo is now best known for its striking facade and its artwork.

The facade is imposing, especially as there is very little space  between the front of the cathedral and the buildings opposite.  Most notable for me were the colours:  it really does shimmer in the daylight.

Inside the Duomo, the Chapel of San Brizio is festooned with frescoes that are simply too extensive to capture in a single photograph.  Above is a small sample of the art:  this panel depicts the “Sermon of the Antichrist”.  The imposter has forgotten his sermon but the Devil is clearly whispering to him about what to say next.  The frescoes were completed by Luca Signorelli between 1499 and 1504.

The Duomo is such a landmark that it is located on the Piazza Duomo…and we are staying at the Hotel Duomo, located about half a block from the Piazza Duomo.  The hotel is family-owned and they appreciated our attempts to communicate in Italian.  As many restaurants do not open until 7:30 p.m., the medieval streets are extremely quiet and atmospheric when we return to the hotel each evening after dinner.

While we were reluctant to leave such a special location, we did have to move closer to our ski destination of Madonna di Campiglio in the spectacular Italian Dolomites.  We stocked up on baked goods from the local bakery and, after taking the funicular down from the old town, enjoyed a leisurely 4 hour train trip through Umbria, Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna to our next stop in the Veneto region.

Stay tuned for the big reveal on our next destination, just west of Venice!