Postcards From An Italian Adventure – Orvieto, Bagnoregio and Civita

Author: scott, July 21st, 2010

Gay Friendly Umbria Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

Our dear friend, Bella (Dolly Goolsby) is on an extended adventure in Italy. She has graciously agreed to let us republish her travel logs. Enjoy!

Monday, June 28th

Hi, everyone,

I just returned from a wonderful 2 days in Orvieto. Orvieto is a hill town, about half way between Florence and Rome. It has been on my “must see” list for some time, and I finally got to go there.

I arrived by train into the lower city, from there I took a bus to the upper, old city. This old city perches on a hill that is about one mile wide and maybe 1-1/2 miles long. I would call it a plateau, but it definitely is not flat. It is a lovely medieval city.

I emerged from the bus, right onto the Piazza Duomo, in front of one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen. The style of construction is Romanesque, with alternating stripes of black and white stone.

The facade, though, is very ornate, lots of color and gold. The doors of the Duomo are huge, and fairly new, designed by an artist called Emelio Greco, and installed in the 1970′s, I believe.

Inside was so simple, huge, with very ornate side chapels. It reminded me of the Mezquita church in Cordoba, Spain (which is my favorite church of all time). Sometimes one piece of art, or one building, can make the entire trip worth while. This church not only touched my heart, it touched my soul.

There are several old churches in Orvieto, and all beautiful in their own way. I was intrigued with the stone houses, all the buildings, the tunneled passageways, and just how many times I could get lost I a city that is not all that big!!

There is a walkway, around the perimeter of the city, from where I could look over the Umbrian countryside, from any direction. There is also a walkway about half way down the cliff, that also is very scenic, but I knew if I walked down that circular staircase, sooner or later I would have to walk back up those stairs.

Yesterday, I took a bus from Orvieto, to a little town called Bagnoregio, further into the hilly countryside. The bus ride was supposed to take one hour; however, my driver made it in 40 minutes. I think he stopped at one stop sign, and that was in Bagnoregio.

The trip reminded me of going on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride in Disneyland! From the bus stop, I walked through the town, which took about a half hour, as my goal was to go to the isolated city of Civita.

This city, definitely medieval, is connected to Bagnoregio by only a pedestrian bridge. There is no other way to get there. The cities used to be connected by a land bridge, but that has long ago eroded.

Then they had a trail, called the Donkey Path, replaced by a bridge that was destroyed in World War II. I saw pictures of the Donkey Bridge as well as the old bridge, and I would not have made the trip on either of those!

This bridge spans a canyon, and only takes about 10 minutes to walk it. But about midway there, I nearly had a panic attack: I am afraid of heights, and here I was in the middle of a bridge over a canyon, trying to convince myself that it would be OK, and I would not fall off.

I finally got across, and thoroughly enjoyed the city. The experience was similar, in my mind, of walking across the Foresthill Bridge in Auburn (which, of course, I have not done!)

By the way, I was one of 5 tourists in that entire town and the other 4 were an American family, so I had it all to myself.

Before going back over the bridge, I got a bottle of water, thought about having a glass of wine to calm my nerves but nixed that idea before it had time to germinate. Just as I was almost to the Bagnoregio side of the bridge, here came 2 tour groups. I was glad I did not have to move to the edge of the bridge mid-canyon, as I would not have done it..they would have had to go around me.

It was quite an adventure, and I am glad I did it, and have found another new adventure for my tour groups. It really was lovely.

After I got across, I did sit at a sidewalk cafe in Bagnoregio, to watch the traffic. Remember, this is a tiny little town, very few places to park, and as it was Saturday, there seemed to be a lot of traffic. But the residents take it in stride: one double parks, parks behind someone else, or if you see a spot that looks like your car will fit into, then just go for it. It was fun, and amazing.

I saw one guy, who saw that someone was backing out of a spot, put his car in reverse, started backing up, so everyone behind him had to do the same thing. And there was no swearing, no fights; just seem to be the way the people were used to doing things. I saw it as another reason I do not want to drive in Italy!

Back in Orvieto, after a little lunch and rest, I had the rest of the evening to explore some more, got lost a few more times, but just soaked up the medieval flavor of the town.

This morning I went to Mass in the Duomo. I just had to see it one more time. Then, on the bus to the train station, and got the train back to Firenze. Back home.

Tonight, a young lady from La Paz, Mexico, is arriving by herself. Her name is Amanda. She just graduated from high school, and will be studying here in Florence. Her family is coming over in three weeks, so I told Magda that I would help Amanda get settled and watch over her, if she needs it. Amanda’s mother liked that idea. So now I have a duckling. I am happy. I hope Amanda will be happy, too. I will try not to smother her.

Thursday, June 24, was a holiday here, St. John’s Day, and I went with Massimo and Magda to watch the fireworks. We lined up along the walkway by the Arno River. The fireworks were set off from Piazzale Michelangelo, up on a hill overlooking Florence. The fireworks were beautiful, a very nice display.

Afterward, we went to a pizza ristorante and had a late night pizza. Very fun. On the way home, I almost got run over by a scooter. Magda saved me and proclaimed herself as the new “Mamma Duck”. We had a very good time together. They are fun to be with, and will keep me from being too lonesome.

They are finishing remodeling and furnishing a new apartment, near Santa Croce. I am anxious to see it, and have proposed that the apartment needs an appropriate christening. I will wait for them to tell me the date, then we will do it right! I love the fact that it is two doors down from a Wine Bar, called Intelligente. My kind of place!

Now I am back in Firenze, home. And just like when you come home, in the United States, from an excellent adventure, there are things that need to be done, like laundry, making a grocery list, mundane chores. So I will do those things now, then watch soccer matches until time for Amanda to arrive.

Ciao for now. Keep in touch, and new adventures will be posted soon.

Dolly

Want to Follow Bella’s Adventure Directly? Check Out Dolly Travels

Click here for gay travel resources in Florence & Tuscany.

Categories: Uncategorized Tags: bagnoregio, bella, civita, dolly, firenze, florence, gay italy, gay travel, Italy, lesbian travel, orvieto, Uncategorized