Explorations of an Umbrian city high above the countryside.
Orvieto is located about halfway between the more famous Italian cities of Florence and Rome. The city is located up at the top of a butte with almost vertical sides, leading to an easily fortified city. The butte has been settled since at least the Etruscan period (pre-200 BCE). Orvieto had a lucrative location on a major trading route between Florence and Rome in the Middle Ages. This allowed the city to afford some grand buildings.
Jana Irving The grandest of those buildings is the Cathedral of Orvieto, built between 1290 and 1591, with some modern alterations. The facade is very similar to the Cathedral of Siena’s.
Jana Irving The amazing rose window from the 15th century.
Jana Irving The cathedral started as a Romanesque style building (rounded arches, thick walls, and robust columns), but was later changed to Gothic (pointed arches, lots of large windows) during construction.
Jana Irving Chapel of the Madonna di San Brizio, a 15th century addition to the cathedral.
Jana Irving The whole chapel is covered in frescoes.
Jana Irving The apse is also covered in frescoes.
Jana Irving Such a gorgeous cathedral.
Jana Irving Off for a bit of a wander. The street in front of the Cathedral leads to a whole street of handcrafted crafts. Orvieto has some gorgeous ceramics.
Jana Irving Back to the cathedral and the Papal Palace and the Bishops’ Residence in the rear. Five popes sought refuge in Orvieto in the 13th century. The complex is now home to a few museums.
Jana Irving In the Diocesan Museum in the old Bishops’ Palace (I think?). I can’t remember what this building was used for but it’s pretty.
Jana Irving An underground portion of the cathedral. It now serves as a storage area for restoration works.
Jana Irving Torre del Maurizio has the first mechanical clock of this type documented in Europe. The Maurizio automaton marks the hours by hitting the bell.
Jana Irving Sant’Andrea and its twelve sided tower.
Jana Irving The side porch of the church is used for selling flowers.
Jana Irving Now for the second day of my day and a half visit.
Jana Irving On the Piazza della Repubblica sits the city hall and previously shown Sant’Andrea (left to the image). The piazza is also home to Sunday morning market.
Jana Irving Morning sun peeking through.
Jana Irving The closer I got to the cliff that surrounds the city, the foggier it got.
Jana Irving A nice walking trail goes almost all the way around the city. There is also an extended version that goes through the countryside. It was a reasonable length but I was not prepared for it. Next time.
Jana Irving A rock cut church, SS. Crocefisso del Tufo.
Jana Irving I can see why they built a city here, natural city walls. It’s hard to see in this photo because of the fog but there are man-made walls integrated into the cliffside.
Jana Irving The stone walls are impressively integrated into the natural rock.
Jana Irving Fog dissipating in the valley.
Jana Irving Back up on the butte.
Jana Irving A typical medieval Italian city.
Jana Irving Old road up to the city.
Jana Irving Even the top of the butte isn’t flat.
Jana Irving The tufa of the butte was very easy to cave out basements, tombs, and wells. This is the Pozzo della Cava. This 6th-5th century BCE Etruscan well was adapted for use again in the 16th century. Then closed a hundred years later and completely forgotten about until it was rediscovered in 1984. It’s 36 meters (118 ft) deep.
Jana Irving An Etruscan cistern (5th-6th century BCE), complete with ceramic pipes, destroyed to create a new cellar in the Middle Ages for aging wine. The ceramic pipes channeled rainwater into a watertight cistern.
Jana Irving Such a pretty city.
Jana Irving I love all the matching roof tiles.
Jana Irving The Umbrian countryside surrounds Orvieto.
Jana Irving Palazzo Del Capitano Del Popolo, home to the Captain of the People. No idea what that position pertains.
Jana Irving City gate on the west side of town.
Jana Irving Entrance to the Fortezza Albornoz, a medieval fortification.
Jana Irving The ruins of the Etrurian (Etruscan) Temple of Belvedere.
Orvieto is a gorgeous city not far from Rome or Florence. It’s perfect for a weekend trip. I didn’t go to every museum or attraction there, but there is definitely plenty to see in Orvieto.
Check out my next update where I visit the home of St. Francis of Assisi!
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Start at the beginning of this adventure.
