Since we had plenty of time to spend while we were in Italy, I wanted to get off the beaten path a little bit and check out some of the smaller towns. I threw out a couple of options, and my mom took the reins in planning a day to Assisi and Orvieto. In general, I’m not a fan of all-day tours. I like to be able to plan things myself and set my own pace, but this program set us up with a really nice day.
After about an hour-or-two bus ride, we arrived at our first stop: Orvieto. (Was it about an hour or two? Who knows? It was in the morning, and I was sleeping.) Orvieto is a small little town in the Umbrian countryside. It sits in a pretty dramatic place – atop some very steep cliffs that overlook miles and miles of fields.
The little town isn’t much more than a little town, but that’s why we went. It did have a quite beautiful cathedral (18) – as any self-respecting Italian town must have. Seeing what Orvieto had to offer and grabbing a bite for breakfast (technically, I had pizza for “breakfast”), we strolled around for about an hour before climbing back on the bus.
The next stop on our little tour was lunch, and I was excited for this lunch. Our driver drove us to a small bed and breakfast that was essentially in the middle of nowhere. There, one enterprising woman manages a handful of quaint, quiet bungalows in a really pretty little area. If I spent more than half of a day there, I would probably go crazy, but it seemed like a “cute” thing for couples to do, I suppose.
The bed and breakfast was entirely self-sustained. Our host even raised her own livestock for the meat that she used in her kitchens. She sold olive oils, salami, seasonings, pastas, and lots of other culinary treats that she prepares herself. (We heard way too much about them, actually. Our guide for this portion of the trip spent more time pushing product than providing information. It was a little awkward – one of those times when you can tell someone is getting commission.) But eventually it was time to eat.
I have to take a moment here to talk about Italian food in Italy. It’s overrated. I didn’t want it to be true, but it was. Throughout Italy, their pastas were simple and uncreative. Meat dishes are harder to find and generally uninspired. And forget about lunch. Your options everywhere are doughy, lame pizzas or rock-hard baguette sandwiches with one slice of meat. And in Italy, meat always means ham - no matter what they call it. It’s always just ham. That was a bit of a tirade, but it’s true. Americans love Italian food, and in countless American restaurants, Americans make fantastic “Italian” food. But if you ever find yourself fantasizing about eating delicious pasta in Rome, relax. You can find something better nearby.
That said, Orvieto was an exception. The pasta that we ate at that bed and breakfast was one of my favorite dishes of the trip – and it was only one of three courses. Everything was delicious, and we were stuffed. So maybe I should give Italy the benefit of the doubt. Maybe Italian food in the countryside is Italian food at its best. But Italian food in the city is nothing to write home about. Wait… Well, you know what I mean. After we scarfed down too much of a good thing, we headed back on the bus and onward to Assisi.
Assisi is best known as the birthplace of St. Francis – who eventually founded the order now known as Franciscan monks. Moreover, he is the namesake of a Spanish fort that later developed into San Francisco – where I live today. Assisi is also the birthplace of St. Clare – who eventually founded an order of nuns and who is the namesake of Mission Santa Clara and my alma mater, Santa Clara University. Relevance established. You can learn about the saints lives while there, and so Assisi is a significant place within the Catholic religion.
Beyond that, Assisi is beautiful. Like Orvieto, it sits high on cliffs, and the views are spectacular. All of the beautiful old buildings are made of pale tan stones, and dozens of monks in training roam the small, cobbled streets. It’s a setting worthy of the big screen. Even Assisi’s basilicas have more character than the average. First, we saw St. Clare’s and its flying buttresses (19). Then, we went on to St. Francis’s (20). As the burial place of St. Francis, this basilica is one of the most important places in Christian pilgrimage. Furthermore, and quite peculiarly, it’s actually a church upon a church. For some reason, there are two separate churches united as one (21). But unsurprisingly, you can’t take pictures inside. And this time, I decided to respect that.
Before leaving the area, we stopped at one last church – where St. Francis experienced his historic vision. And despite being the 22nd church of the trip, it still offered something unique. This church, too, is technically two-for-one (23). They actually built the large, more modern church over the very small ancient church – like those Russian dolls – in order to protect it. Thanks to the no-pictures rule, you’ll have to Google that one, too.
So as you can imagine, after this day trip, we were a little churched out. We saw five in our tour, including a church on top of a church and a church within a church. Church. Church. Church. Church. Church. It doesn’t even look like a word anymore. That’s probably why they started using “cathedral” and “basilica.”
All kidding aside, it was a really nice day. It was very different than anything else I did while in Italy, and it was the perfect way to fill the day. My mom did a great job researching it, and we had a great time. Now, on to Rome.
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More pictures of Assisi:
(Note the monks above)
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