Location: Orvieto
Top Things to do in Orvieto
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What to do and see in Orvieto, Italy: The Best Places and Tips
Orvieto [orˈvjɛːto] is a city and comune in the Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff. The city rises dramatically above the almost-vertical faces of tuff cliffs that are completed by defensive walls built of the same stone called Tufa.
Restaurants in Orvieto
1. Cappella Di San Brizio (Duomo)
Overall Ratings
5 based on 426 reviews
Reviewed By Angel C - Madrid, Spain
I recommend to visit this Cathedral from the XIV century with a beautiful natural light you can see the asonishing frescos and admire its natural beautiness.
The facade, Gothic, is beautiful, it will take you some time admire all the details.
The interior is more simple but with many paints and frescos in two chapels.
I was impressed by its beautiness.
No long queues.
2. Decugnano dei Barbi
Overall Ratings
5 based on 187 reviews
For over eight centuries "Decugnano" has been used to indicate the name of the land of the estate. The soil rich in fossils, oysters and shells, the micro climate and a wide temperature range are all factors particularly suitable for wine growing. Beside a very modern cellar, the visitor has the possibility to admire the Etruscan caves, today utilized for the production of the sparkling wine "spumante" and to mature certain wines in barrels. Within spectacular scenery, the Estate organizes guided tours to their cellars followed by wine tasting and local delicacies. WE ARE OPEN! Saturday & Sunday
Reviewed By khlaw04 - San Diego, California
Booking the tour was a breeze. Anna Rita was very responsive and offered to coordinate transportation for us. We opted to rent a car for the day and made our way to the winery. As a note, when you are following the signs to the winery, if you find yourself next to the lake after the small town, you've headed the wrong direction. When you've found that you're heading the right way, keep going a bit farther than you think that you need to go. Luckily, we had a phone that we were able to call for directions when we got a bit turned around.
The tour was interesting and very informative. The guide knew the intricacies of wine making inside and out and was able to give extensive tasting notes. The tour takes you through the caves that were carved for use by monks. The setting for the tasting was about as unique as I've experienced being in the church on top of the hill. Beautiful views.
The tasting is paired with some meats and cheeses which were delicious. The wines are very good but they weren't pouring anything more than what was in the first pour for each bottle. Not an expectation but my experience with similar tours is that when you find the wine that you like, they share a bit more.
Our group was a bit large so it didn't feel overly intimate but it didn't mean that you weren't able to have questions answered by the tour guide. Overall, this was a good trip out of the town but I've seen better wine tastings.
3. Duomo di Orvieto
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4 reviews
Orvieta's magnificent Duomo (cathedral) is considered one of the must-see churches in Italy for its stunning gold-and-mosaic Gothic façade and magnificent frescoes by Luca Signorelli, which had a great influence on Michelangelo's work in the Sistine Chapel.
Reviewed By Sandro S
Just arriving in front of the facade, you have the perception of the beauty of this masterpiece of the Middle Ages architecture.
Even though building this church it take three centuries, all the architects maintained a certain fidelity to the original project and you can’t appreciate a different between the different ages.
The Cathedral, inside, it’s very simple and the most impressive part is the wide coloured window in the abside, still the original of the XV century, and the frescoes of the same period.
The two chapels in the transept are very interesting and it’s something to visit, check in advance visit time in the internet, the ticket costs five euro but there is a discount for persons over 65 (show an id at purchase)
4. Cappella del Corporale
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 198 reviews
This Gothic church, built to celebrate the so-called Miracle of Bolsena (1263 AD,) contains the sacred corporale (altar cloth) that is locked in a huge, jewel-encrusted casket and a number of magnificent frescoes by the 14th-century painter Ugolino di Prete, which describes the miracle.
Reviewed By VadimM67 - Murmansk, Russia
The chapel is named after the altar`s cloth (Corporal), in which blood was shed during the miracle in Bolsena. It was difficult for modern man to understand the enthusiasm which was the motivation for the construction of this impressive Cathedral. The chapel of Corporale is particularly important for believers. If You truly believe that the miracle in Bolsena could happen, then come here. The rest of the chapel, Brizio for a meeting with Luca Signorelli and his magical "The Last Judgment". The ratio of visitors here and there clearly shows that most visits the Cathedral is yet for aesthetic reasons.
5. Madonna del Latte
Overall Ratings
5 based on 74 reviews
Reviewed By mamamamamarino - New Orleans, Louisiana
This is a small, independently owned and operated winery that makes fantastic wine. Leon, the owner and vintner, gave us a tour of the grounds, discussing the unique features of the area, of the wine making facilities and of the ancient cave that now houses the barrels. Then he took us inside his own home to serve us 5 different wines paired with exquisite goat cheeses made on a farm down the road, some as early as that morning! The entire experience was fantastic and we bought some wine to be shipped home at very reasonable prices. As a bonus, there are fantastic views of Orvieto on the way up and down the mountainside. Cannot recommend this enough.
6. Chiesa San Giovenale
Overall Ratings
5 based on 82 reviews
7. Pozzo della Cava
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 447 reviews
Pozzo della Cava is more than just a well... ...it's one of the highlights of a historical and archaeological tour of Orvieto...it's a place where the past and the present combine with respect for twenty-seven centuries of tradition...it's an invitation to discover Etruscans, Middle Ages and Renaissance, because Orvieto is not only the Cathedral...it's a fascinating underground itinerary located in the heart of Orvieto, through caves full of recently discovered archaeological finds...it's an unusual way of discovering the history the city known as Urbs Vetus and the customs of its people...it's an original opportunity to retake possession of a disinterred heritage
Reviewed By Gothnak - Guildford
The front to this attraction is very unassuming and unlike other attractions in this City, it is privately owned. Initially, you just assume it has a number of reasonably interesting artifacts and an etruscan well, perhaps 3-4 stars.
Then the tour opens out into a MASSIVE cavern, right under people's houses, it is most surreal, feels like suddenly you are in Cheddar gorge.
The other benefit of this lesser known attraction is that we had the whole place to ourselves. It isn't the longest attraction, but it is also pretty cheap, so highly recommended from us, a strange curiosity.
8. Orvieto Sotterranea
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By twoinmaine - Bangor, Maine
It's touristy, but we are tourists. Local guides (English tours available), take you down many (many!) stone steps into a few of the tunnels that honeycomb the rock massif on top of which Orvieto sits. It's not dark or spooky, but it is interesting to see the rooms used for storage, as bomb shelters during WWII, as pigeon roosts for food, as sites of deep wells - some dug first by Etruscans as early as 500BC. We enjoyed the visit, took our time on the stairs (both ways of course), and were glad we wore good shoes.
9. Torre del Moro
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 405 reviews
TORRE DEL MORO A bird’s eye view of Orvieto from the medieval tower. The eye sweeps the horizon with its hamlets and Castles that bear witness to the power that was of the medieval city.
Reviewed By TeamWard - Midlands
Climb to the top of the bell tower and view the landscape its fabulous, especially important wrt Orvieto being on a volcanic plug and therefore raised well above the surrounding area. So you can spot were the town ends and for it the end of the land. The stairs are sturdy and several of them to climb to the top, if outside when the bell chimes watch the unaware visitor jump.
10. Orvieto Caves
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 462 reviews
Http://www.pozzodellacava.it/caves/
Reviewed By lollygal - New York City, New York
We highly recommend taking the time to travel underground in Orvieto. The tunnels and caves are dusty and can be difficult at times to travel, BUT it was highly worth the effort of travelling on these paths that townspeople used thousands of years ago. We left with such a wealth of understanding on the history and background of the former inhabitants. I
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