umbria — Journal of All Blog Posts

Orvieto is well-known in Italy as one of most impressive hilltop village in the central Umbria region, adorned with a giant cathedral. However, if you’re visiting Italy for the first or second time, it might not yet be on your radar. This article was written for you!

On an Italian vacation, you probably seek an experience that takes you beyond delicious pasta, perhaps to the streets of a gorgeous, historical town in order to imagine what life looked like hundreds of years ago. And in towns like Orvieto, you’ll encounter endless reminders of the ancient past, so it’s easy to revel in that experience. Inspect the gorgeous architecture and design up close without too many distractions or reminders of the modern world.

The history of this Umbrian town is a fascinating one: beginning as an ancient Etruscan settlement, the city grew upwards as well as downwards, in the form of deep wells, pathways, cavernous storage and even habitation throughout underground tunnels carved deep into the rock below the town. I recommend taking a guided tour of these subterranean tunnels to learn more, and for a break from the Italian sunshine!

I mentioned Orvieto was built upon a hill, but it’s really located atop a giant volcanic plug. A volcanic plug is the circular neck of volcanic rock that hardens within an extinct volcano’s vent. Then, over the years, land erodes away from the rock, leaving a giant butte standing in nature. And this appealed to ancient Italians as a strategic spot to build a defensible town. In present day, Orvieto is more accessible than it used to be, and it’s been wonderfully preserved with amazing views at every turn!

The view of Umbrian countryside from the walls of Orvieto

Orvieto Cathedral

In 1290, the construction began on the large cathedral that overshadows present-day Orvieto. It took nearly 300 years to complete, so the cathedral contains a wonderful mix of styles and features from throughout the centuries. This includes a rose window, bronze doors, frescoes, mosaics, and more. The facade is particularly arresting, covered in intensely-detailed bas-relief carvings and statues. Not uncommon in Italy at the time, the sides of the cathedral are simply decorated in alternating white and grey stone stripes, a theme that is present on the interior of the cathedral as well.

Ceramic Culture

Umbria is an Italian region famous for a tradition of ceramics, and Orvieto is one of the towns with a long-established history of ceramic production and design, along with the smaller villages of Deruta, Gualdo, Tadino and Gubbio. The art of terracotta ceramics with majolica glaze developed in Umbria due to the abundance of rich clay soil, water sources, and forests with the ideal wood for stoking kilns. When visiting Orvieto, be sure to pop into one of the many ceramics shops along Via del Duomo and and bring home a unique treasure. I bought one of my favorite mugs in Orvieto, covered in a unique golden and turquoise design.

L’Orvietan shop in Orvieto: Excellent spot to buy local products like soap and wooden spoons

How To Get There

Orvieto has it’s own stop on both local and express trains running North-South through Italy. Located conveniently between Rome and Florence, you can be there in between 1 and 2 hours from either. Now here’s the interesting part: Orvieto has a train station, but to get into town, you do something quite fun: ride a funicular tram up the side of city’s steep walls. Funicular tickets costs € 1.30 per person and the experience makes for an exciting entrance into this medieval town.