We're now in Orvieto

We got into Orvieto today and checked into our new home for two nights. It feels about five times bigger than the Rome apartment, and thankfully the bed area is on the same level as the bathroom. You don't realize how often you get up during the night until your bed is in a tiny loft six feet above the bathroom, accessible only down a "safe only in Italy" staircase.

The owner of the B&B is very friendly and helpful. My favorite part of the room is this photo.



Ah, Venice, right? I was staring at this photo and then decided to see if I could figure out where it was taken. Okay, there's the Palazzo Ducale. Hmm, the belltower is to the right. That's weird. And isn't that the Rialto Bridge behind it? But that's at least half a mile away. And what's that giant hotel in the background? Harrah's? Finally, I figured out where this photo was taken. If you start off in St. Mark's Square in Venice, and then fly about 5,000 miles to the west, to Las Vegas, you would be able to take this picture yourself. Yep, it's the fake Venice that they built in Las Vegas. I'm not sure the owner of this B&B knows and I can't bring myself to tell him. Even the caption in the lower left of the photo reads "Venice", noting that it was printed by IKEA. Those Scandinavians have always had a lousy sense of direction.

Anyway, back to the photos. Here's one that you're required by law to take. There is a fine on the spot of 25 euros if you are a tourist and don't take this picture:

Maybe you can help me figure out what the next one is. Heck if I can find it on a map. It's right between the Forum and the Colisseum. Seriously. What is it??? You can get a sense of the size of this huge thing by looking at the stage that has been set up under one of these giant arches. (Note: I later found out that this is the Basilica of Maxentius, from the 4th century.)

The next two photos were taken at Hogwarts, aka Palazzo Veneziana. I may put them with my Escher series.

This one was taken especially for our cats, Mimi and Mungo. Alyssa, our niece and catsitter, promised to show them this blog on a regular basis.

And last, but certainly not least, for you WUMC people, I found a photo in a restaurant of Tom P.'s Italian father, Luigi, on the far left, of course.

Now we're off to explore Orvieto. It's a nice slow paced change of pace from the overwhelming experience of Rome. Note to self for future trips: Come to Orvieto first, to recover from jet lag and before diving into Rome.

A presto.