orvieto, italy is known for being situated on a large volcanic tuff in the region of umbria. the city was founded by the etruscans dating back further than the ancient romans in rome. the volcanic tuff acted as a natural geographic defense against other communities and allowed for the containment of a value system based on the human. the value systems of orvieto have been following the trend of the automobiles but with a slight rejection. the piazzas near the perimeter have become parking spaces for buses and cars, the corso now becomes a symbiosis for the pedestrian and automobile, and the younger generation seems to be migrating out of the city. the result of the collective migration has resulted in the presence of a new town below in the valley. this new town was forged on the foundations of a different value system, unlike the human value system on the volcanic tuff, the valley town adopts the automobile (the automobile propagates indiscriminately). the observation is a variant city of the town above, two orvietos.

 

two towns of the same name founded on different value systems, the human and the car. the “old” orvieto, with its traditional value system, is a haptic city focused on nearness, community, and human relations. the “new” orvieto, with its contemporary value system, is a city of distance focused on the sense of vision, the individual, and the automobile. there are multiple interesting observations juxtaposing the two orvieto towns; age demographics, relationships, and time.

 

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primary education in orvieto is located in the new town. to raise a family, it is more convenient and appropriate to live in the valley where most of the tourists are absent. with the old being gentrified, families can thrive more than before financially, socially, mentally, and physically. the children, if from the old, commute down with their parents and friends to attend school, and on their break, they will return to the old to spend time with their friends. couples seem to have migrated below as well to benefit from the same factors. in contrast, in the old town, the older population seems to be more present. what does this mean? people live longer. because orvieto could be navigated completely by walking, foods and resources are fresh and local, and the architecture of the old allows for a healthy lifestyle. exercise or working out is already factored in the daily routine of a local and such there is no need for additional investments if not desired. 

 

to shop for the desired delicious meat, you will go talk to the experienced butcher. and to shop for vibrant flowers, you will go talk to the beautiful florists. social interaction is a prerequisite to living in the old and prevents even the slightest possibility of what the new world (in the context of the united states) experiences as loneliness. you can not obtain such thing of limitless desire without interacting with the people around you. and with the new town adopting western world values, the automobiles cage you inside while you go where you want to go. you can go to the grocery store and pay for your things through a self-checkout. such things contribute to the lack of social skills, personal relationships, loneliness, anxiety, and many more. the possibilities to interact with a multiple of people of any calibre, a florists, butcher, shoemaker, and artists, has become vestigial with an interest in distance and disconnectedness. 

when you arrive to orvieto, there will be an adjustment. no doubt. first, you will walk to the grocery store here which from any distance can be done in less than eight minutes located on the main corso (street). you will navigate through the streets with the many locals adjusting to the ‘lack’ of personal space you remember in the united states from people to cars. the bell tower will ring and tell you what time it is on your way back to your home, but you will notice something. unlike you, rushing home to cook this meal, the locals are sitting down, conversing freely, walking slowly, smoking outside, and taking their time. they navigate through the town by spotting the bell tower, the corso, a cafe, or the duomo. you will experience an italian full course meal here sometime and stay for longer than you anticipated. everything, is done with meticulous attention. your daily routine, from walking to the grocery store, from walking to a restaurant, and from walking from place to place, you will notice that time seems to move slower here. things are taken their time. orvieto, a time capsule of the traditional and human value system.