Orvieto

Orvieto is a city in Umbria. Designed to be impregnable, it was founded by the Etruscans on the top of a steep hill made of tufa, a volcanic ash stone.

Understand




By train
The Orvieto train station is at the base of the hill at Orvieto Scalo and there are several daily trains to Florence, Chiusi, and Rome. The station is small and it is easy to find a taxi or a public bus up to the town. The best option however is to walk over to the funicular terminus just outside the station and take the spectacular ride up!



By bus
The bus station is at Piazza Cahen on the Eastern edge of the town. Public buses, taxis, or a quick walk will get you into the town itself. Frequent buses run to and from Rome (2 hrs), Viterbo, Bolsena, Perugia (1 hr), and Todi (2 hrs). Bus A connects Piazza Cahen to the Piazza del Duomo and Bus B to the Piazza della Repubblica.

By car
Orvieto is on the A1 autostrada that runs from Milan to Rome via Florence. After exiting the autostrada, a steep road winds its way up to the town. The approach to the town is one of the most glorious things about visiting Orvieto, but parking in the upper town is very limited and many streets are pedestrianized. It is better to use the free parking available at the railway station (then take the funicular up to center of the town) and on Via Roma if you eat at a restaurant in the centro storico (ask for a voucher at the restaurant).

Get around
A funicular railway runs from the railway station to Piazza Cahen and is an easy and spectacular way of getting into town. The town itself is small and walking the entire length of the town is easy. Frequent public buses run through the town and taxis are also available. Parking in the upper town is very limited and many streets are pedestrianized, so that driving is neither convenient nor necessary.

Useful bus routes:
 * Bus 1: Railway Station to Piazza della Repubblica.
 * Bus A: Piazza Cahen to Piazza del Duomo.
 * Bus B: Piazza Cahen to Piazza della Repubblica.

Bicycles are available for rent at Testa Renato on the Via Montmarte and at Ciclo e Trekking Natura e Avventura on via Montenibbio near the station.

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.


 * Pozzo di San Patrizio
 * Pozzo della Cava
 * 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
 * The citadel

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



Do




Buy
Orvieto has long been and still is a center of artisanal pottery. You will find many shops near the Duomo, often with competitive prices. Also, the town is filled with several enotecas that feature Orvieto Classico — the white wine named after the city. You can get a bottle of good Classico for €3.

Eat
The gelato in piazza del Duomo is the best.

Budget
Pizzeria Charlie's- Corso Cavour. Some of the best pizza you will eat in all of Italy. A varied menu, wines, on tap beers, etc. Open for dinner at 19:00. Pizza prices range from €5-7. Delicious.

Pasqueletti's- Gelateria, (Next to Duomo, and on the corner of Corso Cavour and Via Duomo) fresh gelato, open from mid day until 00:30. €2-3.5 for a cone/cup. They will let you put up to three flavours on one order. (It's a chain-there is also another Pasqueletti's on Via Corso Cavour near to Via Duomo, a much smaller store though.)

Drink
Orvieto Classico Amabile white wine. There is a little shop with yellow awnings that sells meats and cheeses and wines on Via Duomo that has a nice array of Orvieto wines. An old married couple, Vera and Giovanni, work there. They will be happy to assist you in picking out the perfect "vino", depending upon what food you will be drinking it with.

Sleep
Orvieto gets inundated with tourists every day. So the best time to enjoy it is before the tourists arrive, which means you have to stay there. The Piazza del Duomo (cathedral square) worth visiting when there is no one else about.

Go next

 * Lake Bolsena is to the southeast of Orvieto in the province of Lazio.
 * Todi
 * Perugia
 * Assisi
 * Civita di Bagnoregio