Bolsena, Bagnoregio, & Wine Tasting

I'm in denial that it's June 1st. I'm pretending I still have another 4 months here instead of the 16 days I have left. And I've convinced myself that one day I'll own a villa on a vineyard outside of Orvieto. Yepp, it's happening....now I just need to marry someone who owns a vineyard. Hmm, might be tricky. Ah well, I digress. 

Lake Bolsena

Yesterday was one of those days where I wish my eyes were video cameras so I could capture the whole day just as I was seeing it right then. Our group took a relaxing day trip to Lake Bolsena, about 20 minutes from Orvieto. We enjoyed laying on the beach, swimming (or in my case, being dunked in by Miss Heather Coates...little stinker), and then taking a surprise boat ride around an island. It was a beautiful sunny day and everyone was teeming with joy and smiles. On the boat, Luke played his guitar and we sang songs that everyone knew the words to, ending with "Nothing But the Blood". I can't think of anything better than praising the Lord, being surrounded by people you love, and feeling the sun on your face as you cruise along with the most beautiful view everywhere you look!

Bagnoregio

 

Then we all hopped in the bus again and headed to Bagnoregio, a little hill town with an ancient city that is practically a ghost town. It was up on a hill, isolated from the rest of the city with the erosion of it's structure through time and weather. Now only 8 people live there! I could walk the whole town in a matter of minutes. I've never seen anything like it. We lingered a little while and sat down to sketch a beautiful alleyway. Then we packed up again for wine tasting at a local vineyard.

Tenuta Le Velette Vineyard

Their vineyard overlooks Orvieto!

We walked out to their property and the view before us stopped me in my tracks. They have one of the best views of Orvieto right in their backyard! It was strange to see the place we consider home from such a far vantage point. The owner of the vineyard told us a bit about their wine-making process and about the history of this place. Below their home, there are Etruscan tunnels from 6 B.C. that they now use for storing their wine. Oh, no big deal...ya know, just your everyday wine cellar. WHAT? So, we took a tour through these tunnels, and I tried to wrap my mind around the idea that the place where I was standing was from 6 B.C. Crazy. Then it was time for wine tasting. Their elegant dining room table was set up with delicious cheeses, seasoned focaccia bread, and various meats. We sampled two white wines and one red wine, and had the best olive oil I've ever tasted in my life. The wines were delicious; I think my favorite was the Orvieto Classico white wine. When it was time to leave we pulled ourselves away reluctantly and headed back to Orvieto. Oh and we closed out the night by watching some Lord of the Rings at our Palazzo. Overall, a pretty fantastic day.

If you think of it, please pray for my last couple of weeks! It will be rough to finish up this last class, while saying goodbye to all of these wonderful people and this town that has so captivated my heart. Please pray for my transition home. Thank you! 

Here's the website of the vineyard where we had our wine tasting:

http://www.levelette.it/it/tenuta_le_velette_azienda_vinicola_cantina_orvieto_terni_umbria.htm