While we enjoy celebrating the fourth of July, the Italians go all out for Pentacost. A dove is sent on a zip-line in a plastic canister from a large cloud structure to a tabernacle built in front of the duomo. It is received with a chorus of fire crackers and flames that appear on the top of the statues of the disciples. The dove is then retrieved and given to the bishop who blesses it and gives it to the couple most recently wed in Orvieto. The Orvieto marching band accompanies the ceremony and locals get dolled up in their medieval best to parade around the piazza…
The view and the room
That terrifying door
The alleyway housing Francesca’s
Sleep Cheap at Francesca’s B&B
The story of our hostel: We stayed at a place called “Sleep Cheap at Francesca’s B&B”- with a name like that, how can you lose? We were given emailed instructions on how to get to the place from the train station that lead us down a very narrow residential alleyway to a large and peeling door with a one worn buzzer with the word “Francesca” written on it. Figuring that this must be the proprietor, we stood there ringing the buzzer and calling out to Francesca for a while. There was no answer. The door was open and the hallway inside only increased our panic: it was dark, full of discarded goods and had the distinct smell of sewage. We decided to come back and left a panicked voice message in very poor Italian to their number.
When we came back, we found a small Asian man standing in front of one of the apartment doors and looking stressed. We asked “Francesca’s B&B?” He answered “yes! Stay here I lost the keys and I will get them from my wife.” He ran off but not before reassuring us “I’ll be back.” So, relieved that at least the hostel existed, we waited for another 20 minutes or so before he returned. Expecting the worst, we followed him inside and were pleasantly surprised. There was a living room with internet (all in Mandarin), a kitchen serving free toast and cornflakes for breakfast, and two bedrooms with several bunk beds and fairly decent views. So, we were indeed able to sleep cheap and happy at Francesca’s B&B (still not sure who Francesca is). And hey, you haven’t lived until you’ve wandered the streets of Venice trying to scout out a street you could potentially sleep in at night…
