Friday, May 19
Pienza to Orvieto

It was about an hour’s drive south to Orvieto in Umbria and the Locanda Rosati (below), not far from the Centro Storico (historical center). This was our only time to stay in an agriturismo (a working farm). We arrived around noon, and as they were not sold out, we were able to take separate rooms. Mine was on the top floor—a large, quiet room with a king-size bed and air-conditioning. The room had plenty of closet space, a bureau with eight large drawers (what a novelty!) and lots of shelf space, a large wooden desk, and yet another modern bathroom with a shower stall. The rooms do not have numbers—instead, they are named after animals. I didn’t write it down, but I think I had the Porcupine Room. The grounds include a swimming pool, sitting areas and lemon trees.  www.locandarosati.it
We drove the short distance to Civita di Bagnoregio (below). As we drove through Bagnoregio, Maritza kept asking if it was time to park. I chuckled and said, “When we get there, you’ll know it.” We had no trouble parking at the base of the bridge. Maritza has a small fear of heights and I knew the climb would be difficult for me, so we decided to pass on the uphill adventure. Nevertheless, we agreed that it was better to have seen this marvel from below than to not have seen it at all.

On the way to Orvieto we were stopped along the road. Before our eyes, a work crew blocked the road by cutting down a tree. Five men appeared with chainsaws, and within a few minutes hacked that poor tree to bits and we were on our merry way.