Orvieto

Orvieto is a hill town about an hour from Rome by train, making it an easy day trip. After arriving at the train station in the valley below the city, you cross the street to the delightful Funicular which takes you up the hill to the edge of the town.

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Cathedral

As with most of the small hill towns throughout Italy, there is a large cathedral. It’s cornerstone was laid in 1290. It was during this time that the city was very influential, including a papal palace, one of only two outside Rome at that time.

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Orvieto is full of wonderful artisan shops and restaurants, which invite wandering and exploring

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The Valley below

The valley below is beautiful as you can see. The large building was once a convent, but today is a five star hotel and restaurant.

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Caves

The hill on which Orvieto sits is made of tufa rock. There are hundreds of caves below the homes and offices of the town. In some of the caves there are niches carved out as the homes for Pigeons. They were used as a food source during sieges. Pigeons were chosen because they don’t need to be fed, they fly off, find food and then return. The rectangular well in the cave I toured was dug by the Etruscans centuries before the Romans. Note the holes in the walls of the well, there are foot and hand holds to allow workers the move up and down the well.

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