What is Orvieto known for?

Gothic cathedral begun 1290, Maitani's polychrome façade and Signorelli's San Brizio Last Judgment of 1499-1504, the cycle Michelangelo studied. Double-helix well of 1527-1537 by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, two spiral ramps so mules going up never met mules coming down. Identified with the seat of the Fanum Voltumnae, federal sanctuary of the Etruscan League, destroyed by Rome in 264 BC.

When is the best time to visit Orvieto?

Apr–Oct. April through June and September into October are the months for Orvieto. The plateau holds the long light, the Paglia valley below is green or gold, and the white wine of the surrounding vineyards is poured at every osteria. Umbria Jazz Winter runs around New Year and fills the Teatro Mancinelli; the Corpus Domini procession on the second Sunday after Pentecost is the most concentrated religious event of the year. July and August are hot on the plateau but the Duomo and the cellars stay cool. November is truffle season and the new oil. December through March is quiet with reduced opening hours at Orvieto Underground, but the Duomo crypt, the Signorelli chapel and the well of San Patrizio are visited without queues.

Orvieto is a comune in the province of Terni, Umbria region of Italy, about 73 kilometers from Terni.

How do I get to Orvieto?

From Terni, Orvieto is roughly 73 km by road.

Orvieto, Terni

Known for

THE DUOMO
Gothic cathedral begun 1290, Maitani's polychrome façade and Signorelli's San Brizio Last Judgment of 1499-1504, the cycle Michelangelo studied.
POZZO DI SAN PATRIZIO
Double-helix well of 1527-1537 by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, two spiral ramps so mules going up never met mules coming down.
ETRUSCAN VELZNA
Identified with the seat of the Fanum Voltumnae, federal sanctuary of the Etruscan League, destroyed by Rome in 264 BC.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

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F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

Why come

Orvieto sits on a flat-topped butte of volcanic tuff, the cliffs 195 meters above the surrounding plain. The town began as Velzna, a flourishing Etruscan metropolis, and the Romans destroyed it in 264 BC. The medieval town that replaced it on the same plateau became a papal refuge in the 13th century, when popes left Rome for the safety of the height.

The town's layers sit one below the other rather than side by side: the cliff face is honeycombed with Etruscan and medieval cavities, cisterns and pigeon roosts cut into the same tuff that the necropolis at its foot was carved into during the 6th century BC, while the cathedral and its chapel occupy the surface above, and the well descends back down through the rock to reach water. What looks from a distance like a single stone crown is in fact three towns stacked in the same column of tuff: the dead below, the popes and their cathedral on top, and a passage cut straight through the middle to keep the town supplied.

What to see

Duomo di Orvieto
The polychrome marble façade rises in tiers of mosaic and sculpture, the decorative Gothic worked into bands of color rather than left plain stone.
Cappella di San Brizio
The Last Judgment fills the chapel wall to wall, figures twisting and falling across the vault and lunettes inside the cathedral.
Pozzo di San Patrizio
Sunk for Pope Clement VII, the shaft drops 53 meters, lit by windows cut into the walls of the two ramps so the descent is never dark. Antonio da Sangallo the Younger designed it to move water and mules at once, without either crossing the other's path.
Orvieto Underground
Tunnels, cisterns and pigeon roosts cut into the tuff cliff below the town, over 1,200 cavities mapped to date, layered from Etruscan into medieval use.
Necropoli del Crocifisso del Tufo
A grid of stone tombs at the foot of the cliff, laid out in regular streets, with inscriptions in Etruscan cut into the lintels above the doors.
Fortezza Albornoz
A papal fortress built at the edge of the cliff, now a public garden, with views open across the Paglia valley below.

We recommend

Where to eat and stay

Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.

CoroRistorante
Coro has two Gambero Rosso forks (83/100), a place in L'Espresso's Top 300 and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Da GregorioTrattoria
Da Gregorio carries a Michelin Bib Gourmand, plus two Gambero Rosso prawns.
I Sette ConsoliRistorante
I Sette Consoli has two Gambero Rosso forks (81/100) and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
La PalombaRistorante
La Palomba carries a Slow Food snail, plus a spot in the Michelin Guide.
ArsoRistorante
Arso carries two Gambero Rosso forks (80/100).
Sale e PepeBistrot
Sale e Pepe holds one Gambero Rosso table.
Trattoria Da CarloTrattoria
Trattoria Da Carlo holds two Gambero Rosso prawns.
Altarocca Wine ResortHotel
Altarocca Wine Resort has a place in the Michelin hotel guide to its name.
Locanda PalazzoneHotel
Locanda Palazzone holds a place in the Michelin hotel guide.
Palazzo PetrvsHotel
One Michelin Key, at Palazzo Petrvs.

Living here

Population 19,461
A local hubi
Pharmacy in town
High school within a 30-minute drive
Train station in the comune
Nearest airport Rome, 2 h 2 min drive
Regional capital Perugia, 1 h 14 min drive

Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

The numbers

Elevation: 325 m
Population: 19,461
Surface area: 281.27 km²

On the map

Google Maps Apple Maps Directions from Terni

These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.