Through the program I am studying abroad with, ISA, I was given the opportunity to travel to Orvieto, Italy. ISA, had organized a day trip to the small city north of Rome on October 18th. So, with a small group of study abroad students I headed out of Rome on a bus. Our destination was quite a sight to see! Atop a rock cliff, surrounded by vineyards, was Orvieto. We ditched our bus for a cable car and arrived at the top in no time. Our guide was a local man who gave a quirky tour of the underground tunnels and Duomo di Orvieto. The tunnels were really amazing, some of them dated back to the Etruscan period (a group I had learned about in my archaeology course just a week before). At one point the tunnels became so small only one person could fit through at a time! I was grateful in that moment that I wasn’t afraid of small spaces. The tunnels were used to mine resources and also to house pigeons! Eventually, the leaders in the town realized that the tunnels were compromises the safety of the city and stopped the mining under the city. But today these tunnels still run under the length of the entire city!
The Duomo di Orvieto was just breathtaking! It was so ornate, I could have looked at it all day. On the exterior, there is the story of Genesis and the Book of Revelations carved into marble with amazing detail. In the interior, there was a beautiful sculpture by Ippolito Scalza, La Pietà . It was carved from a single block of marble and depicts of four figures. The first figure is Christ who is lying on the lap of the Virgin Mary. Behind the Virgin Mary is Nicodemus who is looking at Jesus. In Nicodemus’s hands are a ladder, hammer, and pincers – each seemed to allude to the Crucifixion. Then in the back, next to the Virgin Mary and by Jesus’s feet is the kneeling figure of Magdalene with her face resting on the hand of Christ and cradling his feet. The amount of detail in this sculpture was magnificent. The Virgin Mary seemed to have tears in her eyes and Christ has the stigmata on his hands, feet and ribs. Religion is a great interest of mine (it’s actually one of my majors back at Rollins) and being in the Duomo di Orvieto felt like a religious experience.
I am rather grateful to my program for taking me to such an amazing city. Exploring the city, above and below, turned into the perfect day filled with amazing sights and a few history lessons.