Orvieto – for an Umbrian marvel and one of Italy’s greatest cathedrals

Orvieto, to the south of Perugia, is the other great Umbrian gem and makes for a rewarding day trip. Allow for a ninety-minute car-ride (on the E45) or a two-hour bus journey. Orvieto, looming on a sheer ledge of lava-stone, is a brooding Etruscan presence hewn out of dark volcanic rock. The city’s precarious position and risk of crumbling puts it in the news from time to time – but its survival seems assured for now. The city is quintessential Umbria – moody, mystical, dramatic and stuffed with tempting inns. The fertile volcanic slopes are swathed in the vineyards that produce Orvieto’s famously crisp white wines. The story goes that Orvieto Cathedral was inspiration to Michelangelo in his creation of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Even without that glory, the cathedral ranks as one of Italy’s greatest. If the treasures about ground were not temptation enough to visit, then consider the quirky Underground Orvieto tour. The city’s honeycomb of caves and tunnels represent a secret, second city that has been in use since Etruscan times. 

Address: Tourist Office in Orvieto: Piazza Duomo 24, 05018 Orvieto
Web: www.orvietoviva.com