Yesterday, Andy’s friends Jane and Rhoades arrived from Maryland.  After a short rest, they went on a Hop-a-Bus tour of Rome and I went to the quilt store.  When I walked in, two of my dear quilting sisters were there and we hugged and double kissed (each cheek as the Italians do) and had a quick visit.  I had lunch and went back to the house.  We had dinner downstairs, compliments of J & R and went to bed.  Today, we headed for Orvieto.  When we arrived by train, we went to the upper town, got maps and found our convent.  It is a huge place with a magnificent garden.  They also have a succulent garden all in individual pots.  We got our rooms and headed out to check out the town.  I went by and saw the pottery lady who made one of my favorite beads…it is black and is an interpretation of an Etruscan bead.  I wear it on a silver chain.  She was very pleased to see me wearing it today.  Then I stopped to say hello to a man who makes olive wood articles.  Evan has a lidded dish that I bought there several years ago.  We had lunch on the ‘main drag’ and then came back to rest up before dinner.  About six we went for cocktails and then went for a seafood dinner.  I ordered stuffed sardines.  I had them in a cooking class in Sicily a year or so ago, and they were better in Sicily.  Andy and I both got mussels with pepper and that was excellent. We got a mixed grill seafood platter to share and then Jane and Rhoades got risotto with seafood and spaghetti with clams.  Way too much food.  But it was good.  We got back to the convent and one of the Sisters took us to show us the breakfast room.  Long ago it was where the priests sang, and there is a 300 year old fresco on the wall.  There is a small church attached, but it is being restored.  This is a beautiful place to stay…would be interesting to know what all the rooms were used for back in the day.  I think Sister Giovanna would give us a tour later in our stay.  The view out our window is beautiful…overlooking the garden, the valley below this hill town and the hills beyond.  There is even an old castle in the distance.  Tomorrow there is a tour of Etruscan Underground sites.  Thursday and Saturday are market days.  Friday we want to do a tour of the Duomo and a walking tour of the town.  Saturday there is an Arts & Crafts fair and then we leave for Bagnorigio.  There is also a Medieval Fair this weekend.  There are huge, beautiful banners hung all around the town and bouquets of flowers along the old walls tied with streaming ribbons.  This should be fun!  Stay tuned.  For those of you who  enjoy books about Italy, this is the  town where Elena DeBlassi lives.  She wrote A Thousand Days in Venice, A Thousand Days in Tuscany…a Summer in Sicily…I think that is the name.  Very enjoyable, informative reads.