Wednesday, Apr 15: Orvieto

Oriveto is 1,000 feet up from the Autostrada. We exited and starting climbing (in the car, of course). We arrived at the free parking and went to check out the WCs. They were standard, crappy bathrooms. But they were set in a nice park overlooking all of Umbria. The view from the top was spectacular.

We started out on the road for the 11 minute walk to the Cathedral. This was another medieval town, constructed before sidewalks were invented. We walked along the wisteria covered walls as cars zoomed by.

Oriveto built a huge cathedral to hold a Eucharistic Miracle from 1263. A priest was doubting his faith and went to Rome to strengthen it. On the way back, he said mass at a church in nearby Bolsena. When he lifted up the host, it started bleeding and dripped onto the corporal (altar cloth) and some floor tiles. He brought the corporal to the bishop and pope who were in Orvieto at the time. The pope instituted the Feast of Corpus Christi, St. Thomas Aquinas wrote "Tantum Ergo" and the cathedral was built. (Started in 1290 and finalized in 1607.)


The exterior of the church was ornate, with the ever popular zebra stripes. The front was all decked out with a rose window, gold paintings and panels depicting Creation, the life of Jesus and the final judgment.










There was even a panel showing people hearing the disco music at the Siena pizzeria.


Inside the church we saw the side chapel with the corporal displayed. There was a priest conducting a loud tour in Italian so it was hard to pray. We went back outside, grabbed a gelato and studied the panels.

Then onward to Rome.