SAN PIETRO IN VALLE: THE IMMENSE CHARM OF A BENEDICTINE ABBEY IN THE PRISTINE NATURE OF VALNERINA

by Benedetta Tintillini

The road that runs along the Nera Valley is, in my opinion, a monument by itself, flanked by green wooded mountains dotted with the ruins of medieval towers, through which, many years ago, the lookouts would intercept our passage.
On one of these mountains, the Monte Solenne, lies the splendid complex of the abbey of San Pietro in Valle, a Benedictine monastery of the twelfth century, breathtaking for majesty and charm: the man’s work is set in a lush nature.
You enter the monastery through the guardhouse, in which there were a store room, a salon where pilgrims were refreshed, and the Guardian monk’s lodging, now used as a reception of the Residence. The sweet Federica , one of the three Costanzi sisters, owners of the hotel, is waiting there for me to let me discover this true gem.

THE POZZO DELLA CAVA IN ORVIETO – UMBRIA

di Benedetta Tintillini

Three cave complexes can be visited in Orvieto, very different one from the other: the famous St. Patrick’s Well , the Mill of Santa Chiara and the Pozzo della Cava.
The cliff of Orvieto, hides an endless series of caves and tunnels (1204 are the explored ones) excavated along 28 centuries of history; that’s why the Pozzo della Cava is so amazing and particular, here we can admire a series of artificial cavities of very different eras, from the Etruscans to the Renaissance.
It is located in the medieval quarter of Orvieto. As it was impossible to expand the city due to the particular shape of the cliff, the inhabitants were forced to transform and readapt the underground cellars, according to their actual needs; that explains the constant changes and transformations of the cavities.
The water supply in case of siege was the need that caused the creation of several wells, the first to be realized was the Pozzo della Cava.
But let’s order !
In the first room at the road level (the rooms at this level were used as workshops or stables, the upper floors were used as houses), there is a furnace of ceramics from the Middle Ages. Part of the chimney and the furnace it’s still