Orvieto

Orvieto is a city and comune in Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff. The site of the city is among the most dramatic in Europe, rising above the almost-vertical faces of tuff cliffs that are completed by defensive walls built of the same stone called Tufa.

See

Just wandering around within the walled city is part of the experience. Piazza del Popolo, Saint Patrick's well, La Cava well (etruscan), Corso Cavour (with its shop and restaurants), the Medieval quarter, Saint Giovenale, Saint Giovanni and Saint Francesco churches, Albornoz rock and the surrounding promenade of the downtown are all worth a visit.

• ⊙Orvieto Cathedral (Duomo di Orvieto). The wonderful Duomo of Orvieto is the main 'must-see' sight in this town. Constructed in the 13th and 14th centuries, the black and white striped building is in mixed Romanesque and Gothic styles. The setting, on the Orvieto hill and visible from miles away in the Umbrian countryside, doesn't hurt either. But, impressive as the cathedral is, the piece de resistance is inside, the frescoes of Luca Signorelli on the theme of the Last Judgment inside the Capella di San Brizio.
• ⊙Pozzo di San Patrizio
• Medieval Quarter
• Palazzo Buzi
• San Giacomo Maggiore
• Madonna della Cava
• Underground Orvieto
• Piazza del Popolo and Corso Cavour
• Palazzo del Popolo
• San Giovanni
• Sant'Agostino
• Porta Maggiore
• San Lorenzo de Arari
• The citadel
• ⊙Belvedere Temple (Tempio del Belvedere). Ruins of an Etruscan temple, dating back to the 5th century BC.

Churches

Apart from the Cathedral, there are numerous smaller historic churches with artifacts.

• ⊙Sant'Andrea Church (Chiesa di Sant'Andrea), Piazza Della Repubblica. Built during the 12th century.
• ⊙San Francesco Church (Chiesa di San Francesco), Via Ippolito Scalza. Built in 1266.
• ⊙San Giovenale Church (Chiesa di San Giovenale). Contains frescos and artefacts from the 12th and 13th centuries.

Palaces

• ⊙Palazzo Gualterio.

Museums

• ⊙National Archaeological Museum of Orvieto (Museo archeologico nazionale di Orvieto), Piazza del Duomo.
• ⊙Etruscan Museum Claudio Faina (Museo Claudio Faina di Orvieto), Piazza Duomo, 29. 
• ⊙Museo dell'Opera del Duomo and Museo Emilio Greco, Piazza del Duomo, 26.

Do

• ⊙Pozzo della Cava, Via della Cava, 28 (Every day from 9AM to 8PM.), ☎ +39 0763 342373. From 2 February to 22 December: from 09:00 to 20:00 - closed on Mondays. From 23 December to the Sunday after the Epiphany: from 09:00 to 20:00 every day. €3. 
• ⊙Orvieto Underground, Piazza Duomo, 23 (tours leave from the tourist information office, you can buy tickets next-door). From 1 March to 31 January: Daily at 11:00, 12:15, 16:00, 17:15. February: Same times but Sa Su only. €5.50.
  

  The city of Orvieto has long kept the secret of its labyrinth of caves and tunnels that lie beneath the surface. Dug deep into the tuff, a volcanic rock, these secret hidden tunnels are only now open to view through guided tours.
  The underground city boasts tunnels, galleries, wells, stairs, quarries, cellars, unexpected passageways, cisterns, superimposed rooms with numerous small square niches, detailing its creation over the centuries. Many of the homes of noble families were equipped with a means of escape from the elevated city during times of siege through secret escape tunnels carved from the soft rock. The tunnels would lead from the city palazzo to emerge at a safe exit point some distance away from city walls.

   

Sleep

Inside the range of 4 km:

• ⊙   B&B Michelangeli, Orvieto, PC IV - VIII

  "... a lockable private garage beside the B&B or, if you prefer, you can store bicycles in your room."

• ⊙   Albergo Filippeschi, Orvieto, PC V - VI
• ⊙   Hotel Picchio, Orvieto Scalo, PC IV - V

  "... we have a private garage where you can safely store your bicycles."