First Week Abroad!

 Ciao Friends and Family,

        It has been about two weeks since I left the States and I have been able to experience so many great opportunities in this short time. If you didn't know I am studying abroad this semester in Italy. The town I am living in is called Orvieto, located on top of a hill. Its history dates back to the 9th Century BC with the settlement of the Etruscans. One of my favorite parts about Orvieto is the ability to walk from one side of the city to the other in about 30 minutes. My home, school, grocery store, and bus stops are all very close to where I am living which makes it very easy to get around.

This first picture I did not take but shows the beauty of Orvieto

    

        

        Some of the highlights I've gotten to see in Orvieto are the Duomo and Orvieto Underground. The Duomo is a cathedral built from the beginning of the 13th century and ended right before the start of the 16th Century. Standing in front of this cathedral is breathtaking. One could spend hours studying the images crafted on the front facade, many of which tell stories of the Bible because at the time not everyone could read or even have access to a Bible.

I found out quickly it was impossible to capture the beauty of these churches in a few pictures. 

        Orvieto Underground is a series of caves that have been dug out under the city. The city sits on a layer of stone very similar to the limestone of the flint hills making it a great building material. Most buildings in Orvieto are built from the stone right below them. These caves were then additions to their houses and many people often had their businesses right there in the cave. Some of these businesses included quarries, wineries, olive presses for olive oil, pigeon coops, and donkey stables. The cities still use some of these caves for businesses nowadays such as the funicular (a tram that takes you from the top of the hill to the base), restaurants, and basements for homes.

Pigeon Coop - Pigeons were great sources of meat and eggs for the earlier residents of Orvieto.

Aenya and I celebrated our 2-year anniversary in one of the underground restaurants.

    

        We ended the first week with a trip to Civita and Bombarzo. Civita is a town that was also built on a hill. (building on hills was a great defense strategy) However, this city has eroded away much quicker leaving it sitting alone in a valley only connected by a bridge. It was quite windy that day we went but the view from on top of the city was quite beautiful. Bombarzo was home to the Garden of Monsters. A park where you can find sculptures of gods, goddesses, monsters, and wonders of the world. Its creator wanted to create a place that left you in a state of wonder and confusion. He even boasted that his garden should be considered the 8th wonder of the world. This park had been lost for several hundred years after the death of its creator and was rediscovered after some shepherds stumbled upon it. 

    

        As for school, classes don't really start until next week so this week has been very relaxing with lots of time to explore the city. On the first day, I was very turned around trying to navigate the winding cobblestone streets but after a week this is starting to feel like my new Manhattan. We are starting to find our favorite places to get coffee and the best cheap pizza places which makes it seem very similar to our college experience back in Manhattan.

        I think my biggest difficulty so far is learning how to grocery shop because I only know the words for about half of the items I am trying to buy in the store. I am very thankful for Google Translate and the time I spent on Duolingo because I am generally able to find what I am looking for. I was even able to approach the meat counter, after a little hesitation, and asked them to slice me a few pieces of turkey. That was a big win for me lol.

 Technically I was planning on recapping the first two weeks in this post but realized that I probably need to post every week since there is so much to talk about. You can expect my 2nd week (where I started classes and traveled to Rome) post later this week. Feel free to comment any questions you may have and I'll do my best to answer them!

Arrivederci!

Tanner E. Koch