Day 14: Orvieto and Passignano sul Trasimeno

Howdy!

Today was a free day, and we were given the option to visit Orvieto, Passignano sul Trasimeno, or stay at Santa Chiara.

The group that went to Orvieto split off, with some heading off to mass, and others heading off to play on the children's playground located inside Fortezza Porta Rocca. Following the childhood flashback, the group continued on to climb down Pozzo di Santa Patrizio, a well big enough for an ox-cart to go down. After climbing the 496 steps to get to the bottom and back, the group headed on to the main church, the Duomo. Outside, they discovered a tourist information desk that was offering tickets to see the underground city of Orvieto. The group promptly bought tickets to that. On the tour they learned all about how useful pigeons are if you have the correct pigeon niches to house them. After that tour, the group again split up, some wishing to eat and others wishing to explore. The exploration of the second group mainly consisted of searching the whole city for a single water fountain. The group finally found one at the very base of the hill that housed the city (they later learned there was one in the main part of the city where they had previously been waiting). Hungry after their trek, they found a restaurant that suited everyone and was, more importantly, not very expensive. After the fiasco that was paying for the meal, the group wandered the city for a short while longer before heading back to the train station, where they became Youtube sensations in Asia due to their amazing impromptu musical number. Finally, they got back to Santa Chiara, the group took the much needed time to rest and prepare for Venice the next day. 

The second group went to Passignano sul Trasimeno, with most of the group deciding to relax and enjoy the day at a questionably clean lake. We encountered a dilemma as we got off the train. Since no one had been to Passignano sul Trasimeno before, and no one had brought a map, we had no idea how to get to the lake. Fortunately, we were able to connect to the internet and find directions. On the way to the beach, we passed by a boat service that took people to a Isola Maggiore, a nearby island. Electing to go exploring, the almighty Luke Altendorf and I took a short boat ride to reach the island. We hiked deep into the island, towards an old church and castle. Unfortunately, both were locked and we were unable to enter. Despite this letdown, we continued onward. The trail was surround by trees which provided much needed shade on a very hot and sunny day. We reconvened about half an hour before the train ride and headed home.

Though today was full of adventure, it was also our last day at Santa Chiara, which meant that it was the last time we would be able to eat gelato at the Coco Palm. It was a bittersweet way to end the day.  

Russell Yang and Alli Sitton