Retreat in Orvieto

On Friday evening I took a train to Orvieto with members of Caravita, my parish community in Rome, for a day of reflection.

We stayed overnight in the convent of San Ludovico.
This was the view from my window.










Our time together included reflection time walking around the city. A man stopped me to point out an ancient tower. He told me it was one of twelve that formed the defenses for the city that was originally an Etruscan town dating back to the 9th Century BC. Orvieto became a territory of Rome in the 3rd Century BC. With the decline of the Roman Empire, Orvieto became a free city and prospered during the Middle Ages.


















The Cathedral, with its splendid Gothic facade dates to 1263.