Orvieto

Orvieto stands on a flat-topped butte of tufa rising sheer from the plain, which made it defensible and which the Etruscans understood first. The cathedral, begun in 1290, has a facade of banded stone, mosaic and carved relief that is among the most elaborate in Italy, and inside, the San Brizio chapel holds Signorelli's Last Judgement, painted around 1500 and studied closely by Michelangelo. Beneath the town the soft rock is honeycombed with well over a thousand caves, cellars, cisterns and dovecotes cut over twenty-five centuries, a section of which can be walked. The Pozzo di San Patrizio is a well with two spiral ramps that never meet.

History

The name comes from the Latin Urbs vetus, "old city", a form that first appears in Procopius. On 14 November 1290 Pope Nicholas IV laid the foundation stone of the cathedral, whose Chapel of San Brizio was frescoed with the Last Judgment by Luca Signorelli after Fra Angelico left the work unfinished. Because of its depth the town's great well was dedicated to Saint Patrick, and pozzo di San Patrizio came to mean an inexhaustible reserve of wealth (Wikipedia, Orvieto).

What to look for

• The cathedral facade - banded stone, mosaic and carved relief.
• Signorelli's Last Judgement - in the San Brizio chapel.
• Orvieto Underground - the caves and cisterns cut into the tufa.
• Pozzo di San Patrizio - a well with two interlocking spiral ramps.

When to go

April to June and September to October. The town is on the main Rome to Florence railway, which makes it an easy day from either. A funicular runs from the station up to the town. Umbria Jazz Winter fills the town between Christmas and New Year.

What to expect

The cathedral facade is frequently under scaffolding for conservation. The underground tours run on a fixed schedule with limited English departures. Day-trippers from Rome fill the main street in the middle of the day. The funicular closes earlier than visitors expect.

Nearby

Civita di Bagnoregio is half an hour; Assisi and Perugia are east.

Key facts