Bolsena. This small town shares its name with the beautiful lake upon the shore of which the town is found. Bolsena is about 20 kilometers from Orvieto, and the journey there on easily navigated roads is enhanced by the beautiful countryside which is alive with Autumn colour. As is to be expected with a car in a small Italian town, parking was always going to be the issue, but even that issue was solved after a few blind alleys and u-turns.
The coffee and pastries for elevenses were also a hit at only 3.60 euro (about AUD$5) for "due cappuccini e due brioche", our standard order. In Italy, when you order a "brioche" it can mean almost anything, as long as there is pastry involved - sometimes it is a plain croissant but other times it is a flaky pastry filled with jam, Nutella, custard cream or even sweet ricotta studded with dried fruit. The price is the same, regardless. You are offered a paper napkin and you can choose your own - most people stand at the bar and swiftly knock back a tiny espresso and a brioche, hand the cashier (almost always a separate person at a separate little counter) a couple of euros, then fly out the door with a "buon giornata" (have a good day) as they go.
The big attraction in Bolsena is the lake itself, the third largest in Italy apparently, and with a colour so blue it almost looks a little fake. The other notable attraction in the town is the huge Church of Saint Christina, dedicated to the young martyr of the same name.
Montefiascone. We arrived in this very small hilltop town within 20 minutes of leaving Bolsena, parked the car and found the elevator which took us most of the way to the main piazza, and then onwards and upwards until we found the doors of Cattedrale di Santa Margherita. Doors locked and more scaffolding than you can imagine, no signs on the door welcoming pilgrims from foreign lands, and no indication that it would be open anytime soon. So, down the hill we go through the main piazza all the way to the bottom of the hill to visit Basilica di San Flaviano, a quick look around, and then halfway up the hill again before we settle on a place for lunch.
Over lunch we had been assured that the Catherdral would in fact be open at 3:00 pm, and the meantime we should take in the views of the countryside from La Rocca dei Papi (The Papal Fortress), so, up the hill we go again. The views of the Umbrian countryside were indeed spectacular, as was this higher altitude view of Lake Bolsena, but alas, cometh the hours for the church doors to be thrown open, and ... nothing! So, down the hill we go, down the elevator, into the car, and off we go to Viterbo.
We arrive at the city limits of Viterbo as the afternoon traffic is starting to get heavy, the light is beginning to fade, the driver is getting cranky, and the navigator has thrown away her map. After 15 minutes of following the sign to Centro (indicating the city centre), and seeing nothing but traffic and the gradual illumination of street lights, we see a sign for Tuscany and promptly turn around and head north again hoping to find a turn off to Orvieto. Luck saves the day, the toy car is returned to Hertz after consuming just 7.00 euro worth of diesel, and we head up the hill again to Orvieto by furnicular, to the warmth of our apartment.
Perugia. On Saturday morning we arrive at Perugia rail station and immediately catch a local bus to the top of the hill (and it's quite a big hill). The decision is also made that we are only going to see what is at the top of the hill, none of this up-and-down stuff for us. The first thing that happens to us after cruising along the Corso Vanucchi and poking our heads inside the Cattedrale di La San Lorenzo is that we are invited to a wedding. Whilst lurking about on the steps of the adjacent Town Hall building, a smartly dressed woman sees us and in halting English explains that the building is closed for a private function, but we should come inside and watch. The private function turned out to be a wedding, with the city official all smartly dressed and with appropriate coloured sashes, whilst the groom was in jeans and a T-shirt which had a printed tie on the front - no doubt kept for all formal occasions. The bride (from Ecuador) wore a cream-colored coat dress and looked lovely. Deb and I even had our photos taken for their family album.
The remainder of the day was spent investigating lots of small side streets, eating a massive pizza lunch in an outdoor cafe as the sun (and the shadows) rapidly moved overhead, a browse at the outdoor antique bric-a-brac market taking place in a local park and then a look inside the fascinating Rocca Paolina, a fortress commissioned in 1540, partly destroyed in 1848, and re-built in 1860. The original fortress was constructed over five levels and today the remaining chambers and corridors are used for trade shows and small exhibitions and accessed by escalators from street level.
Down the hill we go on the bus and onto a waiting train for the homeward bound journey to Orvieto via Terontola, and I have deliberately inserted the photo of the station just to let you all know what the end of the world looks like.
D2
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