From Florence we got a train and then a funicular up to Orvieto which is perched on a hill that is honeycombed through with Etruscan caves. We've rented an apartment that was owned by a cardinal in medieval times. Everything is on a grand scale, I don't understand why it was so cheap. The hall goes on forever. We settle in and go on a discovery tour.
I came here years ago with the husband because one of my favourite authors renovated a place here, Marlena de Blaisi. She wrote books about coming to live in Italy, falling in love with the food, and a man, as you do in Italy. I look for her on our walk but I don't find her during our stay.
It's so hot! We wander through the beautiful ceramic shops until the heat does us in and we go home to go out later as it begins to cool down. We've found a restaurant that specialises in truffles, so truffle pasta it is and thrown in is a a spoonful of delicious tiramisu and a free tour of an Etruscan cave underneath. I love that you can dine in this cave also. Everywhere we go in this city, there are signs saying there are Etruscan caves underneath that you can visit.
The next day we go to a palazzo that is now an Etruscan museum, full of amazing finds in the area. Then we visit the spectacular Duomo di Siena, with it's striped blue-grey and white marble exterior. It dates back to the 13th century, it's delicate ornamentation and gold intricate mosaics are exquisite, the interior with glorious malachite coloured domes framed by the striped stonework.
The next day, the daughter leaves for Rome and my sister and I head off to Siena. Every time we get on a train, my sister seems to attract men from Africa who start conversations about their lives and then tell us that Christianity saved them and then out comes the pamphlets. They target her on the way to Siena and on the way out of Siena, following us down the streets until I say that we're confirmed atheists. They nod and look sad and we're left alone.
We've rented another room in a beautiful palazzo made into a hotel. Every ceiling is intricately decorated with bird motifs. We settle in and then go to explore. I've just read a book about Siena and the plague that killed almost 50% of it's inhabitants in 1348. The city never really recovered after that and it feels slightly dark and heavy. We go to a restaurant recommended by the hotel. It's a place that serves Italians so we know it'll be good. Regulars are greeted by their names. We have the special of the day, funghi and polenta.
The heat surrounds us as we walk slowly through the tiny streets, looking in shops in the hope of air conditioning but there are usually only ancient machines at the doorways, enough to cool us before moving on. The Duomo di Siena is spectacular with a huge round window that reflects the deep azure blue of the sky. Inside are astrological timelines and every type of stone you can imagine, decorating the floor and walls in stunning designs.
Siena has a huge market day. If you're lucky enough to be there, visit it. The sister and I go crazy over the cheap linen dresses and wonder how we're going to fit them in our bags.
That afternoon we go to the huge square where they have a Palio. Twice a year, there's a bare back horse race here, comprised of ten representatives of the wards of the town who compete, dressed in the traditional medieval colours. The race dates back to 1482. Sitting in the square for an aperitivo, you can easily imagine the sounds, the smells and the dust kicked up. We sit near the fountain and are envious of the pigeons cooling themselves in the water.
These towns immerse you so totally in their history, that each step you take makes you wonder what sort of person walked there before you five hundred years ago. To be in Italy is to have a foot in the past and the present. It makes you feel supported and protective of it's origins, it's pain. hope and survival.
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