Discovering Orvieto

VISITING ORVIETO AND ITS SURROUNDINGS

The tour can be tailored to your group’s needs.

DINING IN ORVIETO

Our group proposal for a lunch or tasting in Orvieto: a typical venue in the heart of the town — a meal of local cuisine before or after a visit to Orvieto.

Contact us for a quote.

DISCOVERING ORVIETO

A blend of artistic, natural and archaeological wonders.

Orvieto is a city that has lived through several historical eras, in some of them as a leading player — particularly in Etruscan and medieval times. It is therefore a centre of considerable historical and cultural importance in Italy, and one can breathe the ancient splendour of the past while strolling among its monuments and characteristic alleys or visiting its museums. It boasts a great historical and artistic heritage, in some respects unique of its kind in Umbria.

When visiting Orvieto, it is absolutely impossible not to dwell on two of its wonders: the Cathedral and St Patrick’s Well.

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, known simply as “the Duomo”, is a colourful example of Romanesque-Gothic architecture. Widely recognised as one of the greatest artistic achievements of the late Italian Middle Ages, it houses the famous frescoes of Luca Signorelli and the Reliquary of the Corporal, and preserves the Holy Corporal. Begun in 1290, the building was continued by Lorenzo Maitani, to whom we owe in particular the admirable façade with its exceptional bas-reliefs; the elegant front, 40 metres wide and 52 metres high, is enriched with mosaics and the rose window by Andrea Orcagna.

St Patrick’s Well, originally known as the Well of the Rocca because it is close to the Albornoz fortress, was commissioned from Antonio da Sangallo the Younger in 1527 by Pope Clement VII to ensure water for the city in the event of a siege. Completed in 1537 under Paul III Farnese, it is a masterful piece of engineering: a cylindrical shaft 54 metres deep and 13 metres in diameter, with a remarkable double helical ramp that allowed the pack animals carrying water to pass without obstructing one another along the 248 steps; the 72 large windows let the light play with the tones of the stone.

Perched on its tufa cliff, Orvieto rises over the valley of the calanchi, boasting a wonderful panorama and countless atmospheres to enjoy while strolling through its history-rich alleys.