Tuscania

Today's Friday day trip first took us to a quaint town called Tuscania, about a 30-minute bus ride from Viterbo.  And while we were basically killing time before the main attraction later (that would be the olive oil factory!), Tuscania was very nice distraction.

Tuscania is home to several churches (what city in Italy isn't, right?), but we were privileged enough to go to the Basilica di San Pietro (see left).  It is the oldest church I've stepped into yet since being over here.  Legend has it that the church dates back to the 8th century, at a time when Tuscania was given by Charlemagne to Pope Hadrian I. Other historians say it was erected in the 11th century.  Either way, it's still one of the oldest churches I've seen in Italy and given this fact, it is in amazing shape.  Unfortunately, no photography was allowed on the inside of the church but I found a picture on-line (see below), a very good representation of what I saw today.

The inside is very simple, not ornate in any way.  There are remains of what probably were some very beautiful fresco paintings, but certainly not overdone.  Likewise, the alter was very modest.  Nothing on it except a cloth to cover the top with a microphone stand on top of it (very much out of place).  So, it's an active church even though it very much has a ruin feel to it.

Because no photos were allowed, the Ale and Daniele, the Italian teachers,
asked the students to make a drawing of something in the church that "captured them" in some way.  Then they had to describe the drawing and why it "captured them," all in Italian.  Because today is still a school day.........experiential learning if you will, so they were not off the hook from doing something academic.

Here's one example of what students saw while in the Basilica.  This fresco painting is on the crypt of Saint Peter, featuring the patron saints of Tuscania: Veriano, Secondiano, and Marcelliano (14th century).

Afterwards, our bus driver took us into the inner city of Tuscania,
where we ate our packed lunches inside the surrounding wall.  I'm biased, of course, but their "inside the wall" wasn't nearly as impressive as Viterbo's "inside the wall" until you walked to the opposite side of where we entered it, an area called the Acropolis.  There, we were welcomed to a very beautiful panoramic view (see below) of the Basilica di San Pietro, which sits on top of a hill from where were, and the valley that sits in front of it.

The weather was overcast and cool, but fortunately no rain.  We stayed in Tuscania for about an hour or so and then it was off to our next excursion....an olive orchard and factory in the town of Canino, about another 30-minute bus ride up the road from Tuscania.