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Orvieto is an amazing town located about 25 miles from Todi.

You can get there driving along the SS448 road, which has been recently awarded as one of the most beautiful Italian Panoramic Roads; lush countryside, woods, vineyards and olive groves! Halfway between Todi and Orvieto, you will pass along the Corbara Lake, an artificial lake created in the early 1960s.

Orvieto has its roots in the pre-Roman period; the Etruscans founded it around the 7^th century BC on the top of a volcanic rock, and named it Velzna.

This volcanic stone, called tuff, with its very noteworthy colour ( a mix of brown, red and orange) is the main feature of the town: the locals have been going on through the centuries using tuff as the main building material for churches, monuments and private houses.

The historical town is still thriving, with the splendid Piazza del Duomo at its heart.

The CLASSIC TOUR ( about 2 hours )* includes a visit to the main monuments of the city.

• Meet the guide at Piazza Cahen parking lot (pay lot, at the edge of the old town )
• Enter the Municipal Gardens and explore the ruins of the fourteenth-century Fortezza Albornoziana, now transformed into a public park: the view from the terrace of the walls is wonderful.
• Near the fortress you can admire one of the masterpieces of Italian architecture: the renowned St. Patrick’s Well**, commissioned by Pope Clemens VII in 1527. Designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, the well is about 207 feet deep. The well is accessible by paying an entrance ticket and being willing to go down 248 stairs and climb as many!
  But it will be worth doing this effort because the effect from the inside will be unique in its kind.  
• On foot, walking along Corso Cavour and enjoying local workshops and lovely sights, you reach the Torre del Moro, an imposing 130-foot medieval tower. It is located in the center of the city and can be also visited (during your free time) and it is useless to tell you that the view from the top is breathtaking!
• A few steps from the tower is Piazza del Popolo and the homonymous Palazzo del Popolo, an ancient building built in tuff and in the typical “Orvieto style”.

Duomo of Santa Maria Assunta

• Just walk another 5 minutes and here we are at the splendid Cathedral of S. Maria Assunta***. The church, begun at the end of 1200, is considered one of the most beautiful in Italy. Stunning is the facade, 52 meters high x 40 meters wide, decorated with precious and elegant mosaics. The interior “striped” light and dark (travertine and basalt) is typically in Tuscan style: it recalls the Cathedral of Siena. The relic of the Corporal Saint of Bolsena (in memory of the miracle that occurred in Bolsena in 1263) is kept in the left side chapel called the Corporal.
  In the right side chapel called San Brizio you can admire the precious cycle of frescoes executed by Luca Signorelli between 1498 and 1501 approximately.

Other attractions: Orvieto Underground (for a fee) National Archaeological Museum (for a fee) “Faina” Archaeological Museum (for a fee) Opera del Duomo Museum (for a fee) Emilio Greco Museum (for a fee) Church of Sant’Andrea, Church of San Giovenale, Church of Sant’Agostino, Walk of the Walls, Necropolis of Crocifisso del Tufo (for a fee and slightly outside the historic center)

* The duration of the tour is indicative: depending on your schedule, we can tailor the tour to your needs

**Entrance is by payment and optional:  €6 per person. We recommend it only to people able to walk well and not suffering from asthma, claustrophobia, heart or knee problems

***Entrance fee €8 per person.

OUR RATES: €130 for a classic tour up to 10 people

St. Patrick’s Well (interior)