LeTerrae, Day 7

This was a very cool day, both in weather and activity. When we had been in Orvieto the Monday before, we had seen a sign for a performance of the Verdi Requiem conducted by Zubin Mehta scheduled in the duomo on April 15. We inquired, and learned that it was free! So when the Faddens arrived, we asked if they'd be interested in going, and we all agreed.

We started out by deciding to go to lunch at the same great place - the Trattori di Moro Aronne. We had another fine meal and then hung around and did some exploring and shopping. (Nancy and Jean bought shoes they had seen in a shop window on Monday!) We also saw more majolica (it isn't only from Deruta). Here's a photo of a woman doing very interesting working in her tiny studio just off the Piazza Duomo:

It was rainy and cold in Orvieto (we're convinced it's always cold there) and we found shelter here and there and then went for a coffee. We'd learned the duomo opened at 5:15 for the 6 p.m. concert. We saw that the line was increasing around 5, and we got there just as the doors opened. It was a kind of annual Easter time civic event as well. The main nave was cordoned off for people with tickets - probably local leaders and donors and the like -and the rest for all the others. It was also televised for broadcast on Good Friday, so our seats were behind the television setup. Watching the whole TV production was as fascinating as the concert itself, especially the big boom that was moving around right in front of us:
It was fun watching everyone come in and get settled. Some people had a quite proprietary sense, and Jean literally had a woman take her seat from her! It all worked out. Eileen sat next to a couple who were there with students on an architecture term from Kansas State University. They had a good conversation, and the woman told her they had been there the year before (it isn't always the same music or performers) and so this year they came prepared with wool hats and mittens! It was cold in there! But the performance was really splendid - great soloists, especially the American soprano, Kristen Lewis. The group, which has been conducted by Zubin Mehta for 20 years or so, is Florence's orchestra and chorus - the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. It was quite an experience to hear that impressive music in that space. We were very glad we could be there. Here's one more picture:
We made our way back to our car. We had planned to park as before and take the funicular, but we took a wrong turn and ended up in a much better lot actually carved into the bottom of the town. You accessed the town through an amazing series of elevators, stairs, and passageways. It was very neat! Although it was a long day, it had been a very wonderful one in Orvieto.

And thus ended our first week at Le Terrae.