Blogging from Perugia, Italy on September 19, 2019

Bloggers: Sophia and Leo

Steps: 15,300

On Wednesday morning we departed from Orvieto and set off for Lake Trasimene. We had a solemn moment as we commemorated the site where Hannibal killed and captured some 15,000 Roman soldiers in one of the largest ambushes in military history. Kylie gave her oral presentation on the banks of the Trasimene, gesturing nearby to show us the hills that Hannibal’s warriors streamed over to cut off the Roman army.

We loaded back into the bus and drove to Perugia, where we were thrilled to see Gianpierro, the extremely knowledgeable and friendly Etruscan archeology professor who had given us a tour of the Etruscan National Museum of Villa Giulia the week before. Gianpierro showed us Perugia’s downtown where we enjoyed a lunch of sandwiches made from local Perugian bread.

 

We headed underground to see the remains of an Etruscan temple from the beginning of the 6th century BCE. We were joined by our new British friends who traded information on Brexit and the dissolved British Parliament for the secrets of the ancient Etruscans. The site was used by the Etruscans, then the Romans, and then again in Medieval times. The temple was located directly under the present-day cathedral where four popes had died- one of whom was poisoned by nuns (look out for figs)! We also saw our first Roman road!

#sotd 

After lunch, we went to see a massive 37 meter deep Etruscan well which the inhabitants of Perugia have used continuously through the medieval period. Shawn overcame her fear of heights as we squeezed onto a narrow bridge inside the well for a photo-op. 

We went from there to the Galleria Nazionale of Umbria, where we viewed some very impressive sarcophagi and artifacts from Etruscan tombs.

After a delicious dinner in town, we collapsed again into a deep slumber.