Day 9: Bolsena to Orvieto
This was the last day, with the longest walk, and we wanted to have as much time as possible in Orvieto; so we were out the door at 8:30 and walking through the town, past the Duomo – Santa Cristina, site of the miracle of the Corpus Domine, where a doubting priest saw blood streaming onto the corporal, forming an image of the face of Christ. The cloth is in Orvieto, but pilgrims still come to the basilica, because it’s on the Via Francigena, the Franciscan pilgrimage path to Rome.
There is some perverse logic in the planning of walks that requires the last day to have some challenge or difficulty attached. We had two. The first was part of the deal: the path led straight up the hill for nearly two kilometres at what seemed a forty-five degree angle, until we reached the rim of the hills surrounding the lake. This was a tough one the knees that had come down that slope 18 hours earlier.
For the first time on the trip, Simon Tancred’s directions let us down, or perhaps an Italian fog of ambiguity descended on us. Notwithstanding our desire to get to Orvieto for lunch so we could see the Duomo and other sights, we took a wrong turn and ended up nearly a kilometre in the wrong discretion. The hiking map had the wrong scale entirely and the maps lacked compass or grid indications, but a whisper of 4G got us back on track and it was smooth sailing.
We wandered through deserted farmland, ploughed for the winter, and deep woods with more Etruscan tombs, protected by chicken wire and roofing so that they looked like Bronze Age chook yards. We were soon on a clearly marked path, as it was shared by the Via Francigena, the Etruscan Way and a path used by the local walking association — green, yellow and red, and blue marks respectively. Ancient bridges and the site of a miracle marked our path as the cloth from Santa Christina had passed along these ancient paths.
We crested a hill just after the bridge in the photo above and Orvieto was in front of us, a volcanic fragment perched above a ravine. It was like looking at some matte painting for a movie about the Crusades – well, I guess it had been here to see the Crusaders leave.
It was much further than expected to reach the Piazza del Duomo, our ultimate destination. First, we had to go all the way down into the ravine and along the road at the bottom; then climb a steep path beside the aqueduct until we reached the parking station where – alleluia – there were escalators to take us into the city. I forget how many hundred metres Orvieto is above the surrounding country, but we felt every centimetre.
After what seemed like ten escalators, we were in the streets and ten minutes later were in a cafe in the Piazza, having a drink with lunch and marvelling at the Duomo.
I’ll upload a slideshow at some stage to give you a sense of the Duomo, because a few pictures just don’t do it justice and I need to read some more to understand what we actually saw. I know the Last Judgement in the Chapel inspired Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, but it was difficult to take in after a walk and drink. And the crowds – what must it be high season.
The afternoon was fun – there was a display of Fiat Pininfarina in the square, all in showroom condition, and the shopping was a bit of fun. I’ve been looking for a slightly bigger man bag and I’m kicking myself I didn’t make up my mind in Florence. I will regret it because I’ve seen nothing as good as in Tuscany.
The day finished with a final surprise: our final Hidden Italy meal was in a Michelin hatted restaurant, and €50 each got us a lot of fabulous food. We had an early start in the morning, it was great to say goodbye to Caz and Al with such a wonderful feast.
