ORVIETO
In Session 2, students will live and work for two weeks in the small hill town of Orvieto. Walled Orvieto sits on a spectacular butte of volcanic rock whose sheer cliffs fall nearly 1,000 feet to the valley floor. In addition to its location, Orvieto is famous for its gorgeous gothic Duomo (with famous frescoes by Luca Signorelli), Saint Patrick's Well, the Etruscan underground city, and the wines. In the long summer evenings, the daytrippers disperse, and you'll have enchanting medieval streets almost to yourself.
Long before the ancient Romans extended their power over central Italy, Orvieto was one of the twelve federated cities of the Etruscan league. During medieval times Orvieto acquired wealth and importance as an independent comune, and during the Renaissance control passed to the Popes, many of whom used Orvieto as an official residence.
See DIRECTIONS for how to get to Orvieto and the Istituto San Lodovico.
ISTITUTO SAN LODOVICO
We'll be staying in the Istituto San Lodovico, a convent with a beautiful garden on the town's southwestern wall. The Istituto hosts several creative seminars and workshops every year.
The Istituto San Lodovico is managed by the Sisters of Compagnia di Maria, of Our Lady Of Santa Giovanna di Lestonnac, a religious order founded in 1607 by Santa Giovanna (Saint Joanne) of Lestonac. The first purpose of this order was to educate women, and did so in Orvieto for many generations, beginning in 1834. The school closed in 1998 but the sisters still run the preschool and offer year-round hospitality and lodging to guests such as us.
The history of the convent itself is difficult to reconstruct due to the loss of historical records. The convent already existed in 1300, but the building's origins date to the 3rd or 4th century BC—under the grounds of the convent are Etruscan wells and caves excavated in the rock. From 1300 to 1800 the convent was occupied by different religious orders until it passed to the Sisters. The grounds of the convent today are fairly modern, with the entrance hall probably built around 1800. The annex to the convent is the Church of San Lodovico, dating back to 1350 and restored in 1746.
"In Italy, a Room for the Soul"— Read the Chicago Tribune article
about Istituto San Lodovico!
(Note: The rates quoted in the above article are no longer correct.)
ACCOMMODATIONS
The Istituto San Lodovico offers a few rooms with one single bed and several double rooms that many be occupied singly or doubly. All rooms are en suite.
Not all the rooms have air conditioning, which is only available in the Istituto's new wing. We have reserved these rooms but our preferences cannot be confirmed until we have collected enough funds from students to make a deposit (likely in February).
Registration is the same for all rooms, which will be assigned randomly. However, students may share rooms for a discount, subject to availability. We will assist with matchmaking. For couples, the single beds in the double rooms can be made up as a double bed. See REGISTRATION for the exact rates.
The Istituto offers complimentary wireless internet, and will provide a continental breakfast every day. Students will be on their own for other meals, but we are planning to have a welcome dinner on the first night (tbc).
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