Day #86 in Orvieto

May 19, 2013 – Sunday

On Sunday morning, we made our way to the duomo for mass because on Pentecost, everyone goes to the duomo instead of all other other churches. On our way, Sara randomly stopped this man that we passed and she was like "HI! I'm Sara! I'm a big fan!!" and we had no idea who she was talking to until she mentioned his name, Rick Steves. I'd never heard of Rick Steves until I came here, but apparently he's on TV a lot and we always read his travel books. So we took a picture with him and apparently he is working on his book for 2014. Anyways, after that encounter we made our way into the duomo and were there for like 2 hours before it ended and then the parade began outside! The duomo piazza was packed but someone I managed to get right up front so I got a few good pictures and a video of the main attraction. So on the duomo steps, there put up this tabernacle thing with cutouts of the 12 disciples on top. Attached to the top of the tabernacle is a zip line that is connected to the building that's across from the duomo, probably 100m away. So after the medieval procession happens (a bunch of men in tights, playing trumpets and drums and twirling flags), the bishop stands up in the balcony and waves a little white flag. Then everyone turns to the beginning of the zipline (although it's so far away that you can't really see when it starts). But you can tell that it's started because the thing thats shooting down the zipline is a little dove in a clear canister with flaming firecrackers on the outside of the canister. So it sounds like a plane is coming down the zipline because it's so loud and it's flaming/smoking. Everyone cheers as the canister comes down and then it hits the tabernacle and lights the disciples on fire, because the dove is supposed to be like the Holy Spirit that comes to the disciples. Anyways, there are more firecrackers hanging from the tabernacle and those light up too. 

I was about to cry though because the canister was smoking and I thought they killed the dove after they tortured it by sending it down the zipline, but then things just kept getting weirder. A construction worker appears and he puts a ladder against the tabernacle and begins to climb up. He takes the canister and climbs down, then the dove is suddenly chilling in a clear box. So a few of us thought that it looked like a white towel in the canister that flew down the zipline, and then they did a sort of magic trick and revealed the dove after. Because the dove looked pretty content and happy - not like it just rocketed through the sky with a bunch of firecrackers. Anyways, the parade continued and the dove was then presented to the bishop. We saw Rick Steves again in the crowd and he was taking pictures just like we were.

Hanging out with Rick Steves

The flaming dove canister going down the zipline