Friday, October 14, 2011

ORVIETO!!!

Orvieto is a perched village in Umbria;perched literally upon a cliff. Most visitors do not drive up to the village,but take a funicular...straight up the side of the cliff!I was there for a week of art and culture,with Adventures in Italy,a company run by a wonderful Americna couple,Bill and Kristi Steiner. They love love love Orvieto,have been there many times,and several time a year host art groups there for a week. We stayed in the wonderful,ginormous convent/B & B of San Lodovico,still run by nuns,including the Head Sister Giovanna. A truly wonderful lady!
My first glimpse of Orvieto

My view out of my convent bedroom window

We were able to sleep with the huge windows wide open...no bugs!

Me and Sister Giovanna with some photos that my friend Abby had sent with me to give her...they were already friends!

My first meal in Orvieto: eggplant "meatballs"!

Cappuccino art!

ahhhhhhhhh

Bill,showing us the layout of the town

Cinghale!!!

Faces,faces everywhere

these are some pottery patterns...

typical...

of both Umbria...

and Tuscany

the town belltower...I grew to really love it's sound!!

The gorgeous façade of the Duomo...

...with it's black and white stripes...

and amazing sculptures...

I got dizzy looking at this pattern!

Beautiful alabaster windows inside!

a charming café right next to the Duomo

Even men of God need their cell phones!

very very cool

medieval glove of armor

Bacchus was everywhere!

one of my favorite door knockers ever!

antipasto

Giovanna brought us slices of melon with little American flags stuck in them

roof tiles

descending into the Etruscan tunnels beneath the city


our view from behind the convent! WOWOW!!!later,we painted this!

city walls

how I adore this type of landscape!

convent courtyard

views views everywhere

tough guy

Erica,a fascinating,brilliant,wonderful 80 year YOUNG friend of the Steiners,who was our dinner companion one night. She is my role model for aging!!!

the waitress is shaving black truffles onto my spaghetti!!!

Ombracelli with truffles...YUMMMM!!!

we are getting ready to do a simple watercolor of this scene...

...and boy am I happy!!!

the 5 art students!

my first attempt at a plein air watercolor...done on top of antique Italian book pages...

6 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh Mom!! Gorgeous photos!! Wow!
    I cannot wait to visit Italy!!

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  2. Your photos turned out awesome!!
    what camera did u use???

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  3. Sue, you really MUST make an iBook from these photos. I'm agog every day looking at them. I want to try to paint a few, if you don't mind.

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  4. Dear,dear Sue,
    Your photos brought tears to my eyes... the memories, the beauty, "Mama"Giovanna, the food... your photos captured it all! Well done, my friend!
    BTW, have you contacted Mark Nolting for info on Africa trip for summer 2012? I told him you might be in touch .

    Thanks so much for sharing your Orvieto trip...THRILLED you went and loved it!
    Hugs,
    Abby

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  5. oh Sue, fabulous photos..i was in Orvieto 33 years ago and it still as breathtaking! you must be having the time of your life!

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  6. ah, thanks for the reminders of beautiful Orvieto! looks like you had a fabulous time, dear Sue! xo

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