Our Hearts Are Restless

Here are some of the best pictures from our trip to Orvieto .  I probably could have spent another two days and 50-some euro here, but even our brief visit was lovely.  Good weather counts for a lot, but the city itself is both unique and beautiful, as hopefully you'll see from the pictures here.  There are more at Operation Eternity . My camera battery died halfway through, so most of these pictures are thanks to Sarah. [caption id="attachment_1437" align="alignnone" width="645"] Orvieto is known for its ceramics. I just had to take a picture of these for Mrs. M. :D  Apologies for not being able to bring one back to the States just for you.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1438" align="alignnone" width="645"] First stop was Orvieto's Duomo, with one of the most beautiful facades I have seen yet. This cathedral was built to house the Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena and Orvieto.[/caption] [caption id="attachment...

Christendom's Rome program is set up to include three "free weekends", which are three days with no activities planned, so that students can travel wherever they'd like around Europe.  This weekend, I didn't have plans to leave the country, but I knew I needed a mental health day.  It's been gloomy and wet in Rome, we've been busy, and a day off from the city was imperative.  I'd thought about other plans, but in the end made my decision based on an idea from Madelyn's gift jar.   So, I headed off to the little town of Castel Gandolfo, a 45-minute train journey from Termini, Rome's central transportation hub. This town is the summer residence of the Popes since the 17th century.  It sits above Lake Albano, which was reflecting a beautiful blue sky today.  There's not much in the town itself, except the Apostolic Palace and the church of St. Thomas of Villanova, below.   I also found this little chapel inset into the wall of the palace. ....