11/4–Last Orvieto afternoon and evening

On the way back from Civita, we decide to stop at the Necropoli del Corcifsso del Tufo – the Etruscan necropolis outside of town that is included in our Carta Unica.  We’ve been past here before, when we missed the turn on our arrival to Orvieto – so I know where we’re going.  Yay.

We are the only visitors on this day, and it is pretty neat to have the whole site to ourselves.   There is a nice little museum type display that gives a lot of explanation to the necropoli. Dating from the 6th Century BC, the tombs were originally found in the 1800s, and initially sort of plundered, with art and archeological finds sent off to the Louvre and the British Museum.   By 1880, archeologists began to explore and save the tombs, keeping their finds locally in Orvieto museums, and discovering 100’s of tombs here and also on the south side of the town in the Necropoli della Cannicella (not included in our Carta Unica).

Outside, we follow the path through a lovely garden area to the tombs at the base of the Orvieto tufa cliff.  Wow – it is amazing to see all the rows and rows of tombs, lined up in what they call an urban plan.  Totally amazing.

We wander through the streets, looking into every tomb we can.  Most have a stone bench inside, for laying the corpse upon, and on the entrance to each tomb, above the doorway, the name of the person is engraved in the stone – many of which we can still see.

We end up spending quite a bit of time here, wandering from section to section of this dead city. It’s quite large, and totally captivating, just thinking about the mindset of the Etruscans, the creation of this place, and then the abandonment for so many years until discovery. 

It is easy navigating back to the parking deck, and we are quickly back in the apartment hanging out, and resting for a bit.  Our next excursion is to the Pozzo della Cava – tunnels in the Medieval Quarter of Orvieto that were discovered when owners of a cafe started renovation. We’ve not been to the Medieval quarter yet, and thought it would be a good afternoon excursion.

We walk the ramparts heading toward the caves and spy the restaurant we want to go to tonight.  Very close – an easy walk.  Then we head down, down, down into the Medieval quarter.  The caves are right on the main street and we find them easily.  The curator/owner/old Italian gentleman who is manning the entrance is a hoot.  He takes our Carta Unica and hole punches out the caves, then he comes after me with the hole puncher, going for my ears.  Too cute.

We wander through the caves, which are just incredible – huge caverns with old stream beds running through them.  The original Etruscan well has been dug out and made into a city cistern in later years. You can see both the original well and the existing cistern here.

It’s just amazing, these caves under the city. Here there are also displays of pottery that have been found, as well as recreations made by local artists to show how the pieces would look.  The self guided tour takes us about 30 minutes, ending in the cafe and gift shop. My Italian friend beckons to us as we enter the cafe, he takes my hand and leads me into a little dining area, I’ve not idea what he’s doing.  He then backs up and pulls me with him into a corner…where he points down to the floor – and we are standing on a clear window looking down into the cave meters below.  Too funny.  He clearly delights in surprising us this way.

The little cafe is cozy and sweet, so we stay a while ordering a beer and wine.  Then back out into the windy afternoon.  Our initial plans were to explore the Medieval quarter, but we decide to leave that for another visit – we already have a huge up hill segment to navigate and Ed has his marinated pulpo (Octopus) he bought at the market waiting for him in the apartment.

Later that evening, we walk back around the rampart to Le Grotte del Funare – a lovely restaurant located in one of the caves at the edge of the rampart.  We’ve read reviews that you can’t get into this place without reservations, but once again, there is no one here. It is obviously because of the season.  There is one other table of 8 Americans – and us. That’s it.  The space is great – inside the cave with dark wood and the rough chiseled walls. 

Service is great – and the food incredible as well.  We speak our basic Italian, but fortunately our waiter speaks English – so I can ask him what Faraona is – he can’t quite explain it, but says it is like chicken. Oh – well – forget that – I’ll go with the Mailina (not the right spelling!) which I know is the pork.  The waiter approves, saying it is the house specialty – and wow – he was right to approve – it is like baked porchetta.  Totally tasty!  We start with antipasto (of course) and Ed has the mixed grill – which is equally tasty and a big portion.

What a fantastic end to a great time in Orvieto. We are already planning our return trip here – maybe next year!

11/4–Civita di Bagnoregio

Today we are exploring outside of town, driving over to Civita di Bagnoregio – about a half an hour away from Orvieto. We manage to find the car pretty easily (OK, it isn’t that hard – just down the elevator, around the cashier and down the steps into the reserved parking – but still….).  We’re out in no time – and eventually when Alice finds her satellites – headed in the direction of Civita.

The route takes us up and around quite a few hills of Umbria.  It is a neat drive through little villages, past farm houses and up into the hills – with a view of Oriveto all the way.  Unfortunately there aren’t any good places to stop for pictures, so we just enjoy the view as we pass around the hill and move on through Umbria.

We arrive at the parking lot with only one little glitch when we missed a turn.  The road that leads to the parking lot closer to the bridge is closed – only open to people with parking permits and handicap permits.  Darn! We had hoped to drive all the way down to the pedestrian bridge that leads to Civita and park there.  But that was not to be.  So we pull into the far lot, by the dilapidated building that is all screened off – ready for restoration we assume.  We have to pay for parking here – and it is only a meter box.  Unfortunately, I forgot to heed the warnings of our guide books and have managed to run out of useful coins.  We only have 1 Euro 50 between us, which won’t get us much parking. Crud.  We’ll have to go out in search of coins now.  Not a happy moment.

Fortunately we are saved by a very nice couple (well, very nice woman part of the couple – the man just said no, when I asked if they had “cambio.”).  The lady saved us by changing a 5 Euro note, and soon we were on our way.  Down the long, long road to the long, long bridge that spanned the eroded earthen saddle connecting Civita to Bagnoregio.

It’s a long walk, but the view is stupendous.  Civita perches atop the cliffs, basking in the sunlight with canyon like walls glowing in the distance.  It is amazing to think that once you could simply walk along a donkey path to get to the city – and now all that land is gone, replaced with the pedestrian bridge that was bombed in WWII, and eventually replaced with the current bridge in 1966.

We purchase our 1 Euro 50 tickets at the parking lot we wanted to use (sigh) and proceeded across the bridge. Stopping occasionally for the view and to assess our progress.  It’s a long way up there!

It is well worth the climb though.  We round the granite stones and step into an idyllic little medieval village – almost forgotten in time.  At the least the architecture is….cobblestone streets, stone buildings, gorgeous gardens, ivy covered buildings with wooden doors and windows.  It is totally picturesque, and we spend the first 30 minutes or so just walking from one end of town to the other, snapping pictures and marveling at the view from up above the canyons below.

It is gorgeous and peaceful up here, even after the bus load of Asian tourists show up.  The little historical museum is closed, even though the sign clearly says they open at 10, so we head back to the main square and take some shots of the church, which is also closed, along with a good portion of the square, due to the earthquake on Sunday. We rest a bit on a stone ledge facing the sun, watching as the town slowly awakens, cafes post their menus, B&B guests check out (what a cool, isolated place to stay!), and shopkeepers put out their wares (read: souvenirs).

We’ve perused all the menus by now, and have chosen to eat at  Trattoria La Cantina de Arianna – where they grill over an open wood fire in the back of the dining area.  The smell of the fire is wonderful – and the food selection doesn’t disappoint.  They focus on meat – of course, with the wood fire grill – and we both go with grilled items.  Starting with an antipasto (its so great everywhere, we’ll miss these starters once we leave Umbria), and finishing with Salsicce for Ed and a grilled pork chop for me.  It’s great fun watching the son (we assume) cook our food over the wood coals, and the dad (we assume) slice our prosciutto off the bone and arrange our antipasto platter.  Perfectly simple, absolutely tasty, wonderful protein meal!

We meander around town for a bit more.  We watch the caretaker maneuver the only motorized vehicle up here – an Ape with an open truck like back – around the narrow streets and then down the stairs and across the pedestrian bridge  - all the while taking more photos that we’ll have post later.

It’s time to walk back down the pedestrian bridge, then trudge up the long hill to the car. Wow. This is better than the gym!  We’re finally in the car, and off out into the Umbrian hillside, heading back to our little apartment on the Orvieto ramparts.

11/3–Orvieto underground and evening

After a relaxing afternoon, we head to the underground for our 5:15 tour. We are hanging out in the square, in front of the underground tour entrance with 4 young kids and a family (mom, dad and 2 babies).  But as 5:15 arrives, our tour guide, Alyssa, comes out and takes only the 2 of us on the tour.  So we get a private tour.

We walk around the Duomo, into a park and then through a gate onto a path that winds down around the walls of the city.  Along the way Alyssa gives us an overview of the cave system in Orvieto.  I didn’t realize that all the caves were manmade.  I guess I just assumed they were natural – but in fact they date back to the Etruscan age when everyone had wells and excavated for storage and refuse.  The Etruscans also used the caves as shelters during the Roman siege. After the Romans, the caves remained unused until the medieval ages when people used them for wine cellars and farms.

There are only 2 caves here open to the public and we enter the first one where there are posters with an overview of all the caves.  There are more than 1200 caves around the city – virtually all privately owned.  If you have a house or building in Orvieto, more than likely, you also own a cave below it.

This first cave is large, with high ceilings (thankfully for the claustrophobic part of this couple) and held an olive processing factory.  There are still crushing wheels and presses built into the walls. Plus we can see an example of a well from the Etruscans, which is just wild.  They built it with footholds and little else – so these people dug down all that way (and then later climbed down into the well) just holding onto the sides with their hands. In the dark.  Remarkable.

We walk around the cave, then follow a twisting and turning path up and down, through little tunnel like areas, exploring all around.  All the while Alyssa is pointing out different features of the caves, more wells, the tunnels that would lead up to the private homes – the way the caves were originally accessed – and tons of other facts I’ve of course forgotten.

After fully exploring all the areas available in the first cave, we go back outside and walk down to another level of cave – there are typically 3 levels to all caves.  This one is carved lower into the tuffa and the entrance is narrow with uneven stairs and very low ceilings.  Once inside though, we enter a large chamber with small little cubby holes dug out of the walls.  We play the guessing game as to what it is – a tomb for ashes? (Not big enough for bodies) Storage? We give up!  It is actually a farm – for pigeons.  The medieval owners would farm pigeons to sell but also to eat (it is a common dish on menus here).  There was always a window in these farms where the pigeons could fly out – and where the farmers could throw out the pigeon poop to keep the area relatively clean. This practice went on for years, until the 1500’s when the Pope decreed farming in the caves illegal.  It seems there was so much pigeon poop and trash build up outside the farms, that merchants were able to climb the pigeon poop hills and enter the city without paying taxes/fees. The Pope wanted to collect the taxes, thus made pigeon farming off limits.

Fascinating.  We climb around the caves a bit more, and then we are done with the tour.  We walk back out into the pitch blackness of night, thankful for the path lighting Alyssa has turned on when we entered.  We chatted about the weather – and how it’s been hotter here than normal as well – climate change.  Everywhere.  Then we bade Alyssa goodbye and headed back into town (actually following her since we were her last tour and she was heading home, walking through town).  It’s a little after 6pm and the streets are crowded with locals of all ages – passeggiata. The nightly ritual where the locals come out  and walk the streets and socialize with each other.  We love that about Italy’s small towns!

It’s still early, so we hang out more at the apartment, then at 7:30 head over to La Palomba, another highly recommended restaurant that specializes in truffle dishes.  We are the first ones there (as usual) but tonight it matters.  Virtually every table is reserved. We are incredibly lucky to get a table for two in the corner.  The menu looks great and there are tons of items with truffles, but nothing that really appeals much to us. We settle for antipasto (of course) and then Ed has Salsicce (Italian sausage) and I have scallopine al limone.  All excellent and expertly prepared.

I also ordered a carafe of wine, which turns out to be way too much.  So Ed helps finish it, and we decide we don’t need to stop at the Blue Bar for a night cap.  We just head home and hang out at the apartment, sitting outside on the bench overlooking the valley until the cold chases us inside and we hit the hay.

11/3–Orvieto all day

Today is our Orvieto day – we are using the Carte Unica to its fullest extent and visiting everything we can.  We have charted out our course, and after a leisurely coffee or two, we head out toward the Duomo where we plan to spend the morning.

On the way, we make a detour through the weekly market.  It’s full of fresh produce (we should buy some, but we really don’t have enough time to eat anything this trip – darn it) and tons of clothes and shoes and kitchen utensils.  This is a great place to be if you are in a shopping mood (5 euro sweaters!). But, we’re on a sight seeing mission, so we just “tent” shop, then head over to the Duomo.

We time it just perfectly and get to the Duomo within 5 minutes of opening time (the literature  is incorrect – it says the Duomo opens at 7:30 – but in actuality it opens at 9:30).  We are the first people inside which is fantastic. We have the church all to ourselves.  It is a gorgeous, if not plain place.  It looks huge, but is actually smaller than it appears. The architects built it so that the altar area is wider than the front of the church, giving it a very spacious and cavernous appearance when you first walk in. But once you arrive at the altar and look back, you can see it isn’t quite as big as you’d thought.  Totally interesting.

Other interesting features are the alabaster windows – completely different. And the grey and white stones make for an arresting appearance.  We tour the whole Duomo, exploring the Chapel of the Corporal where the bloody cloth from the miracle is supposed to be displayed. We never found it (we saw pictures – but never found the actual cloth), but the frescoes in the chapel were incredible.

Out in the church proper, we stood on the floor patch where the altar used to stand before they moved it back, marveled at the huge organ up above – and wondered how in the heck they played that thing in the early ages.  Now it is all wired and computerized, but before?  Did someone really climb up there and play the thing in situ?  We’ll have to research that.

We move on to the Chapel of San Brizio which is the main draw here. The frescoes in this chapel were all created by local artist Luca Signorelli and tell the story of the Day of Judgement and Life after Death.  They were painted between 1499 and 1504 – and are spectacular.  The scenes are vivid and detailed, and look like they were painted yesterday.   It is a beautiful chapel with the light streaming through to illuminate the frescoes on every inch of the walls.

It is about 10 when we finish with the Duomo, so we move on, looking for the Cathedrale musuem, part of the Duomo museums included in our Carta Unica.  We actually stumble into the Emilio Greco museum, which is totally neat (but not what we were expecting because we are following Rick Steves’ tour – and this museum is not what he was describing). The Greco museum is a small little place that packs in a lot punch for the small space.  It basically follows Greco as he designs the modern doors of the cathedral.  They have his drawings posted around the walls and you can follow the sketches back to the original door and see how he created the finished bronze product.  In addition, there are quite a few of his bronze statues in different displays all around – complete with the sketches that accompany the design.  It was really a great little find – even if we weren’t looking for it.

The museum also had a wonderful iron gate as the front door – which Sunny enjoyed – well- sort of…

After the Greco museum, we went to the Underground office (which opened about 5 minutes later) and booked a tour for this evening at 5:15. There were only 2 English tours, and we thought later would be better.

It was still pretty early, and we didn’t want to rush through everything, so we made a pit stop at the Bar Caffetteria Hescanas for cappuccino.  We had stopped here on our previous visit, and the location is so convenient, we couldn’t resist. The cappuccino was excellent, as was the price. We figured it would be high because of the location and were pleasantly surprised. But looking around, it was quite busy and we were the only tourists, everyone else was a local. It made for was a nice little diversion.

Back out in the Piazza, we struggled to the find the Cathedral art collection.  We finally headed back toward the Archeological museum and found what we think is the art museum.  It doesn’t match Rick’s description but it has art!  Actually some really cool art – for religious art that is.  The main level is comprised of underground caverns that contain a lot of excavation material and different artifacts from the cathedrale grounds.  Then the upstairs, outside and up into a gallery contains full size paintings – taken off the walls – literally chopped off the walls – the entire wall of tuffo or wood or  canvas hanging in a variety of displays.

There are also reliquaries and various communion items like the incense thing and host boxes and lots of other odd items Ed has to explain to me.   But the one thing that grabs my attention is the little box that is used for the communion wafer – it is the same type of box that restaurant last night used for the check.  How wild!  totally taking their location and city reputation into play.  Pretty neat. 

Onward we explore – into more and more rooms of cathedrale art. It is fascinating, and interesting, but the one thing that keeps drawing my attention is the statue of the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus with the angels and wise men around her. I don’t know why, but I just love this bronze and marble creation.  Don’t ask!  I can’t answer.

Next up, we go to the archeological museum which has a ton of awesome Etruscan relics.  Pottery, iron, you name it – it is here.  Orvieto has a long history – and it is contained here from Etruscan to Roman rule to more Medieval times. All displayed here in its glory.

All the museums have been wonderful, but you know, we’re sort of museum’ed out at this point – so we call a break and head to lunch. We head up the street to the Enoteca Antica Botega Al Duomo.  A quaint little deli type cafe off the beaten path (if a block off the Piazza Duomo can be considered off the beaten path) – run by a family who takes great care of all their customers – even when they don’t speak the best Italian! It is by far the best place we’ve been.

Local, relaxed, just totally perfect.  No one speaks English really, so we make do with our basic Italian.  Wine and beer – that’s easy.  We finally decide on Porchetta panino for me and Antipasta mixto for Ed. We’ll share of course. And oh boy – do we share!  Holy cow – the portions are amazing – and the taste. Well, let me just say it was the best porchetta panino I’ve had….ever.  Oh….heaven. The antipasto comes with mixed bruschetta – which is excellent.  My porchetta – well, you can see from the pictures.  It’s monstrous and delicious. And the Antipasto is plated to perfection – just gorgeous, all styled on olive wood serving boards.  I’m not saying anything more!

We’re stuffed and happy – and then – Pippo (the owner) comes out and gives us biscotti and sweet wine for dessert.  This place is a keeper! 

We pry ourselves away from the table and make our way back out to the square to visit the museum Faina.  Housed in a one time Palace, the museum holds tons of Etruscan and Medieval works – including a huge coin collection.  The palace alone is worth the visit. The rooms are pretty much decorated as they were when the palace was constructed in the mid 1800s, so just looking at the wall coverings and paintings is enough of a historical lesson.  The displays just add to the ambience and history.  Because of the earthquake, some items have been moved.  When we purchased our Carta Unica here yesterday, the woman who sold us the cards asked us to read her translation and tell her if it made sense or was right.  So sweet.  It made perfect sense – and she was very happy we confirmed her translation abilities. 

Another bonus of this museum is that we can get great pix of the Duomo across the way and the clock tower down the via.  Even better than being down in the square.

We are now officially museum’ed out. Done. Ready to take a big long break. So, we head back to the apartment, via the grocery store and relax for the rest of the afternoon. We’ve done a lot today – and are ready for a little break!

11/2–Orvieto Evening

Out into the evening we go.  It is a gorgeous night, nice and brisk without a cloud in the sky.  Tonight we are going to Ristorante Al Pozzo Etrusco da Giovanni – which is literally right around the corner. A 3 minute walk.

They open at 7:30 and we get there at 7:25 – because we have read they are extraordinarily busy and you need reservations, which we do  not have.  So, we figure if we go early, we might score a table. The reviews of this place are excellent, and Sabrina, our hostess also recommends it highly.

The staff is just setting up as we arrive. We go to the first doors we see, but they are locked and we figure they aren’t open yet, but the waiter sees us and waves us to another door, hidden down some stairs.  Oops.  Oh well, a little embarrassing, but we’ll get over it.  We speak our pidgin Italian and they show us to a table in the corner. 

The dining room is light and bright – and we’re the only people here. So we take advantage of our luck and settle in. The menu is great – local specialties – we start by splitting  the Antipasto Mixto, then Ed orders his Cinghiale (Wild boar) with blueberries (cool) and I order the lamb stew. 

The Antipasto is huge – and excellent – with tons of different things, like a little quiche type pie, three different types of bruschetta, fried potato slices and this incredible cheese that we’ve not figured out yet.  It was a sort of brie, but with a totally different taste.

Our main meals didn’t disappoint either.  Ed’s Cinghiale was cooked to perfection, with a wine reduction and blueberries. Incredibly different and incredibly delicious.  My lamb stew was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. The lamb was tender as butter, the sauce rich and perfectly complementary.  And incredibly excellent meal all around. And the bill comes in this adorable little box, of which we neglect to take a picture.

Excellent choice for our first night, and obviously, the season has affected the business, because there is only one other couple that comes into the restaurant while we are there.  Otherwise, it is completely empty, which we know is not the case earlier in the year (as recently as October even).  We are totally stuffed, but not ready to head back to the apartment just quite yet.  So we decide to walk off some of the food and jet lag.

We end up wandering into Piazza della Reppublica, which is all but deserted, but makes for a great photo opp!

As we head back to the apartment, we stumble on the Blue Bar, which is the only bar we have really seen so far.  We head in to be greeted by Antoine (Antoni here in Italy) – from Brittany, who is an absolute hoot.  He likes his music loud, his opinions strong and he keeps us entertained with his banter for the rest of evening – over a very good glass of wine and beer for Ed (and Antoni as well). We will definitely be back here for night caps on our remaining nights.

Back at the apartment we sit outside for a bit, taking night shots that aren’t all that great. Then hit the hay, exhausted, but ever so happy here in Orvieto. 

11/2–Orvieto

We made it!  Quite the difference from our September travels. All our flights went off without issues  -only slight delays in Philadelphia for some maintenance issue and then a passenger who had to talk to the captain about…well…we don’t know.  Something about the engine, we suppose, but nothing that the captain worried about.  Phew.

Landed in FCO about 1/2 hour late, but we’re in no rush.  We’d prefer to get the rental car later rather than earlier, so we don’t have to rush to Civitavecchia on the return (if we return it longer than 1/2 hour from the hour of booking it costs the equivalent of a whole day).  Passport control was a breeze – no lines whatsoever.  We have our 2nd stamp in our new passports.  Wow.  We need to initiate these things! 

On to baggage claim where wait, and wait, and wait.  Makes us regret not paying the extra $10 each for “priority” boarding and luggage retrieval.  But again, we really don’t want to rush.  After an interminable wait, and a minor moment or panic – did the bags really make it here?  We see our shiny red hard sides come off the luggage belt and we are on our way to our rental car.

As anticipated, we had to maneuver with the agent to not be charged extra for picking up the car early, but we are finally off to the garage to pick up our little Fiat Panda.  Cute little thing – but sadly reeking of smoke.  We hope it doesn’t infiltrate our clothes – and we keep the windows down and the air on as we drive on what we call the Rome Beltway (the Raccordo Anulare) and then head up the A1 toward Orvieto.

The drive is easy – one we’ve made before, and we’re actually not as tired as usual.  For some reason, even though we’ve not slept well, we’ve at least slept.  We stop for sustenance – cappuccino – and an Auto Grille rest stop on the Autostrada.  We feel right at home as we pay for our coffees, then sidle up to the bar to order them. Works like a charm!

Back on the Autostrada, we make it to the Orvieto exit in no time.  then we circumvent the town, driving along the perimeter, rising higher and higher as the road takes us up and around the walls of the town.  We make all the right turns and end up in the parking area adjacent to the Ripa Medici – where we are to meet Sabrina, our host for the next 3 days.

We try to park the car… oh Italia!  I had researched enough to know we had to leave the car in a certain area, and if we went past it, we were…well…screwed.  So – as luck would have it – there is only one little teeny, tiny parallel parking space available.  I direct Ed towards it. He puts on his signal light, reverses toward the spot and … bang!  I thought he stalled out. No- we’ve hit someone.  What?  There was no one around -- except for the dummy driving down the road behind us, who I guess decided to ignore our signal light and reverse lights? 

Long story short – they didn’t even stop, just drove on.  OK – we’re cool. We park in a loading zone while waiting for a space, when finally a guy pulls out.  I jump out of the car and stand in the space, then wave Ed back from the loading zone, stopping on coming traffic and securing our space. Phew. Finally!  We pay for parking and head to the B&B to check in. 

Ripa Medici B&B is easy to locate, at #14, and we climb the steep steps to the front door.  Answering the doorbell is Marco, Sabrina’s son, who calls his mom and then expertly guides us to our apartment, Casa Bianca, a block away.  Sabrina, who happens to be there organizing the delivery of  a new mattress, greets us effusively and takes our luggage as we look around.  It is just as cute as the pictures online – no surprises here.  Excellent location, right on the  ramparts with the stunning view outside our front door.  So nice!

While Sabrina finishing preparing the room, we head out with Marco to go park the car in the lot below the town walls.  It’s a winding little drive out of the town, but it will be easy to access from our excursions, and a series of stairs and elevators take us back up to the ramparts and Casa Bianca.

Sabrina sits and chats with us for a while, showing us the features of the apartment, along with the snacks and drinks left for us.  She also gives us a quick overview of the town and suggestions for restaurants and the grocery store.  When asked about the best place for a Porchetta Panino, she directs us to L’oste Del Re – where she goes for sandwiches.  Perfect – we’re done here!

And off we go to L’oste Del Re – an adorable little deli-cum-restaurant with a few tables up by the deli counter and another area in the back, we never saw.  All over the walls are sheets of tan construction paper with quotes and drawings from past visitors.  It has a wonderful relaxed atmosphere, making us very comfortable here.  We order our beer and wine (great wine here) and then both of us decide to order the Porchetta Panino. We’ve waited this long for the original, we’re not in the mood to share!  But, as usual, we probably should have!  The sandwich is gigantic.  And made with focaccia bread instead of the crusty Italian that is more traditional.  Beyond that little “gaffe” the meat is so tasty and perfect.  Ed and I sit in near silence as we bask in the goodness of one of our favorite meals.  Sigh….

Fully sated (well, really stuffed), we head out into the afternoon sunshine to the Piazza Duomo for great sunlit photos and to buy our Carta Unica which will get us into a ton of the local sites and museums, including a roundtrip on the bus and funicular.  The Duomo is perfectly lit – and we take a bunch of shots (the best of which you see here – our photo reduction software chose this time to totally melt down – so only a few high res photos will be included from now on).

After meandering around the Piazza del Duomo, scoping out an enoteca for tomorrow’s lunch and perusing the stores on Via del Duomo, we head to the supermarket to stock up on supplies, then back to the apartment to organize.

I do something I never do on our first day in Europe – and take a long nap. Ed actually napped for 30 minutes too, which is totally and completely unusual for him.  I stay in bed a bit longer (well, ok, a couple hours longer) and wake up feeling totally refreshed and ready for our evening out.