back to Towns and Cities
Orvieto (Umbria)
Orvieto is a beautiful city in Southern Umbria about an hour and a half from most of our properties. If you prefer not to drive, it can be reached by train on the main North-South line from Terontola di Cortona (direction Rome), take the funicular railway from Orvieto station and up into the town. Orvieto is built on the plug of an extinct volcano and is an incredible sight as you approach it.
Things to see:
The Duomo and the Cappella di San Brizio
The Duomo is easily the most impressive building in Orvieto, there are incredible medieval carvings on the facade and gold mosaics higher up (dating to the 1800s). The interior is striped marble, do not miss the frescoes depicting scenes from the Book of Revelation by Luca Signorelli. It’s said that Michelangelo stopped in Orvieto on his way to Rome to paint the Sistine Chapel and studied these frescoes intently.
Torre del Moro
The hard climb to the top of this tower rewards you with magnificent views.
Pozzo di San Patrizio
Designed with a double spiral staircase (one on top of the other), so that donkeys could continually bring water up without bumping into each other, this well was never used. Built on the order of Pope Clement VII, who intended to use Orvieto as a bolthole from Rome, the well was intended to supply the town with water in the event of a siege.
If you come in the car, you can combine a visit to Orvieto with a trip to the Monster Park at Bomarzo, 20km down the A1 in the region of Lazio. Created in the 1500’s, the park is full of incredible monster statues and a leaning house, it’s a definite hit with both children and grown ups. |