ORVIETO

From Roma,  Civitavecchia or Florence, 8 hours or 12 hours Medioeval City tour, Umbria tour, Wine Tour

  The traveller who approaches Orvieto by train or by car, sees from a distance the city which rises on a plateau of volcanic tuff, surrounded by a stupendous landscape of fields and vineyards. The unbreakable walls appear to encircle the city rather than elevate it.

Because of its location, because of its Etruscan roots, because of its charming medieval character, and above all because of its celebrated Cathedral which is a gem of Gothic architecture, Orvieto is one of Italy's most unique and interesting cities.

The Duomo , built during the years 1290-1320, is a Gothic-Romanesque style church, its facade a mix of marble and mosaics.

The Pozzo di San Patrizio (Saint Patrick's well) is a well built in the period 1527-1537, based on a design of Antonio da Sangallo, and its famous double helix staircase (something like DNA :-) will let you walk down into the well (200 feet, 248 steps for each ramp) and come back up again without retracing your steps. It was useful to carry out water with donkeys.