Lazio · Rieti
Orvinio
The highest borgo in the Monti Lucretili park at 840 meters, called Canemorto until 1863.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Orvinio is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia.
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Visiting
- Best time
- May–Oct
- By car
- 1 h from Rome
- Population
- 387
- J8°
- F11°
- M11°
- A14°
- M19°
- J24°
- J29°
- A28°
- S22°
- O18°
- N13°
- D9°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Orvinio sits on a saddle in the Monti Lucretili park, the last village before the slopes drop toward the Turano lake. The ancient settlement called Orvinium was destroyed before the year 1000, and the medieval town that grew up afterward took the name Canemorto, said to commemorate a Saracen defeat by Charlemagne's troops in 817.
The Orsini built the Granarone palace in the fifteenth century, before the Borghese took the fief in 1632. The village they governed still reads in two layers: stone houses running in tight loops below the ridge, and the Castello Malvezzi-Campeggi above them, the physical record of who held the place longest. The Cammino di San Benedetto crosses this lower town on its way between Subiaco and Norcia, a reminder that the village has always been a point of passage as much as a seat of lordship. What remains is a settlement whose name changed twice and whose skyline did not: the castle above, the loops of houses below, unchanged in relation even as the village below it was renamed.
How to get there
From Rome Fiumicino (FCO), about 1 h 17 min by car.
Naples (NAP) is about 2 h 42 min away.
By car from the center of Pescara 2 h 1 min or Perugia 2 h 15 min.
Coming by train into Roma Termini? Orvinio is about 59 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Rome Fiumicino airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Castello Malvezzi-Campeggi
Rebuilt by the Borghese in the nineteenth century, it dominates the village from the upper ridge, still visibly the seat of the family that held the fief the longest.
Abbazia di Santa Maria del Piano
Benedictine abbey founded in the early Middle Ages, the original landlords of the territory before the Orsini took it.
Centro storico
Stone houses in tight medieval loops below the castle, with vaulted passages and the original village gates preserved.
Parco Naturale dei Monti Lucretili
Regional park covering oak and beech woods and karst slopes around the village, with marked trails toward Monte Pellecchia.
Cammino di San Benedetto
Long-distance pilgrim route between Norcia and Montecassino passing through the village on its way south to Subiaco.
Living here
Could you live here?
Orvinio is at the end of the road.
- A village of 387. The nearest town of 5,000 people, Castel Madama, is 36 min away: past our 15-minute rule, which makes this the end of the road.
- Tivoli, a city of 55,115, is 41 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 387, down 7.6% since 2015
- Nearest city Tivoli, 41 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Tivoli, 23 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €750 to €1,050 per m² to buy, €3.20 to €4.20 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Remote
- Pharmacy: none mapped
- Nearest high school over ~30 minutes away
- Full fibre reaches 100% of homes
- No primary school in the comune's register
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Rome Ciampino airport (CIA), 1 h drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Rome, 1 h drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
13% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania and Pakistan, against 9% across Italy. There are 574 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 72% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Rieti province ranks 75th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Tivoli, 23 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Rome, 48 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Rome, 48 km away. The nearest IB school is Acorn International School, 44 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is The European International School & College Rome, 39 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax at the 2025 rate, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.8% to your income tax. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Lazio spends about €2,270 a month, €580 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €647 a year for water, on the Lazio average.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. The national maps show no residents in a high or medium flood zone. 6% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
CASTELLO
The Malvezzi-Campeggi keep, held by the Orsini and then by the Borghese for two centuries from 1632.
CANEMORTO
The village's medieval name, kept until 1863 when unification politics replaced it with the Roman one.
MONTI LUCRETILI
Highest commune inside the regional park, surrounded by oak and beech woods on the karst slopes.
Common questions
- What is Orvinio known for?
- Orvinio is the highest borgo in the Monti Lucretili park at 840 meters, called Canemorto until 1863.
- Where is Orvinio?
- Orvinio is a comune in the province of Rieti, in Lazio.
- What is the nearest airport to Orvinio?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Rome Ciampino (CIA), about 1 h by car.
- How long is the drive from Pescara to Orvinio?
- About 2 h 1 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Orvinio?
- Best in May–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Orvinio?
- Collalto Sabino, Villalago and Goriano Sicoli.
- How many people live in Orvinio?
- 387 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Orvinio a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Orvinio is at the end of the road: the nearest town of 5,000 people, Castel Madama, is 36 min away. The nearest city, Tivoli, is 41 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Tivoli, 23 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 100% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 840 m
- Population: 387
- Surface area: 24.69 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Orvinio appears in
- The best towns on the Cammino di San Benedetto in LazioLazioon a walking route6 towns · smallest 273 residents
- The prettiest small villages within 90 minutes of RomeNear Romewithin 90 minprettiest villagessmall6 towns · smallest 217 residents · closest 52 min away
- The prettiest villages inside a nature park within 90 minutes of RomeNear Romeinside a parkwithin 90 minprettiest villages7 towns · smallest 217 residents · closest 35 min away
- The prettiest villages on a walking route in LazioLazioon a walking routeprettiest villages7 towns · smallest 273 residents
- The 8 best towns inside a nature park that sit on a walking route in LazioLazioinside a parkon a walking route8 towns · smallest 387 residents
- The best small towns inside a nature park in LazioLazioinside a parksmall8 towns · smallest 217 residents
Featured on
Orvinio appears on this themed pick from our Collections:
Similar
Towns like Orvinio
What all six share with Orvinio: under 1,000 people · high up, between 600 and 1,000 metres
Collalto Sabino
Province: Rieti
both mountain-valley towns
Villalago
Province: L'Aquila
both mountain-valley towns
Goriano Sicoli
Province: L'Aquila
both mountain-valley towns
Triora
Province: Imperia
both mountain-valley towns
Castel San Vincenzo
Province: Isernia
both mountain-valley towns
Bova
Province: Reggio Calabria
Our guide
Our nearest guide, 62 km away
Tuscia: the towns, when to go, how to get there
The Tuscia guide came out of the letter. Letters from the towns we visit. Free.
Read the guide: The land Rome took twice. 16 towns, the drive and train times, the months, where to eat and sleep.
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.