I Luoghi della 1000 Miglia

Orvieto

A jewel set on a tuff cliff

Art, culture and traditions accompany you every step of the way in Orvieto, a jewel set on a tuff cliff in Umbria, the green heart of Italy that chronicles a history of over 3,000 years. The city is undoubtedly known worldwide for the Duomo and the Pozzo di San Patrizio. The Duomo, an incredible expression of Gothic-Romanesque architecture, has been called the “Golden Lily of Cathedrals”’ for the golden mosaics that decorate its unmistakable façade. The Pozzo di San Patrizio (St Patrick’s Well), built in 1527 by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger at the behest of Pope Clement VII, is an authentic masterpiece of engineering: dug 54 metres deep into the tuff, it consists of two spiral staircases of 248 steps each, one for descending and one for ascending, that do not meet. Orvieto is a treasure chest that never ceases to amaze with the Torre del Moro and the Palazzo del Popolo, symbols of the power of the ancient Municipality, or with its fascinating medieval quarter where the church of San Giovenale, the oldest in the city, stands out. From the Etruscan period, then, we have numerous testimonies: among the most important are the Necropolis of the Crocefisso del Tufo and the “Fanum Voltumnae”, the ancient federal sanctuary of the Etruscans, discovered after a series of important excavation campaigns in the Campo della Fiera area.