headed down to the mall at valdichiana. bought some stuff from the nike and adidas outlets. there was even a swatch outlet with prices discounted 30%. was fortunately not swayed by the limited selection on display.
last stop in tuscany/umbria was orvieto. lunched at ristorante dell’ancora. LP recommendation, though the name was different. decided to stay because of the pleasant-looking outdoor dining. had vegetable soup (yes, clear soup!) and veal diced and cooked in white wine. other choices not great including the baked lamb which was too dry. had a bottle of white, which the region is known for. faint smell of vanilla, which i’d thought was coming from the chapstick. 80 in total.
impressive duomo façade with its extensively carved pillars and glimmering mosaics. 5 to enter the cappella di san brizio for the stunning frescoes of the anti-christ, the end of the world, judgement, damnation and salvation.
massive jam on roma’s GRA (as 5 lanes merged into 2!!) and only reached the hotel past 8. had arranged to meet up with K for dinner at matricionello. coming in from the hotel, found that line A’s last train was at 9.30pm! apparently due to some ongoing works.
only got a table past 10. shared pasta with pecorino cheese and pepper (smelt pungent but was quite tasty) and fettuccine with sea bass and pesto (nicely balanced the former).
4 of us shared a triple at the pinewood hotel for 130 a night. the hotel was west of the vatican and a 10-minute walk from cornelia, the penultimate stop at the battista end of the A line. a definite immigrant/ethnic feel to cornelia with filipinos, chinese, south Asians everywhere.