Things to Do in Orvieto

Our first trip to Orvieto, long before I could have told you the best things to do in Orvieto, had a dark turn. It was August 2017, our first summer living in Italy, and it was over 100°F. We were standing in the big square in front of the Duomo, when a woman in front of us fainted and hit her head on the marble steps. She was okay, but an ambulance came, and it was upsetting. And then Lisa, who is sensitive to that kind of thing, did what any normal person would do. She passed out too. We got her to a bench first. We still had lunch. But that was about it for Orvieto that day, and it took her a full day to feel like herself again.

The thing is, even on that awful first visit, we knew we wanted to come back. The town was too pretty to leave with that as our only memory. So we went back, and then went back again. Orvieto is now one of my favorite towns in Umbria, and these are the places and experiences that made the return trips so much better than the first.

Orvieto at a Glance

• When we went: August 2017, then twice more on later trips
• Best for: an easy day trip or overnight stop between Florence and Rome
• How long: a full day, or one night if you want the town after the day-trippers leave
• Don’t miss: the Orvieto Underground tour
• Heads up: lots of hills and stairs, including underground
• Getting there: train to Orvieto station, then the funicular up to town

Tours and Tickets in Orvieto

If you want to book the underground tour ahead or visit the Duomo with a guide, these are the Orvieto tours and tickets we’d look at.

Our Tip: Book the underground tour at the office right on the Duomo square as soon as you arrive, then plan the rest of your day around your time slot. The tours run at set times and only with a guide, so if you explore first and come back later, you may find the next couple of tours are full.

Is Orvieto Worth Visiting?

Yes. Orvieto is one of the easiest towns in Umbria to recommend, especially if you’re traveling between Rome and Florence. The Duomo is the obvious reason to stop, but the underground caves, St. Patrick’s Well and the town itself are what made us want to come back. It also works well if you only have one day because the main sights are close enough to see without rushing all over the place.

We’ve been more than once, and I’d go back again.

Orvieto Duomo

The Duomo is the first thing you notice in Orvieto. It sits right in the middle of town, and the striped sides and huge mosaic-covered facade are hard to miss.

We’ve somehow never actually made it inside. On our first visit, the heat and Lisa fainting ended the day pretty quickly. On later trips, we spent more time exploring the underground city and wandering through town, so the interior is still on my list for next time. Even if you don’t go inside, the facade alone is worth stopping for.

Orvieto Underground

If you only do one thing in Orvieto, do this. It’s a no-brainer.

The hill under the town is hollowed out. There are more than 1,200 caves, tunnels, wells and cisterns dug into the soft rock, built over nearly 3,000 years by the Etruscans and everyone who came after them. Some parts are ancient and some are medieval, all stacked on top of each other. Walking around up top, you’d never guess any of it is there.

Our tour felt like it went on for close to two hours. We weren’t down there for a quick look. We kept going deeper, and there was always something more to talk about. (The standard tour is listed at about an hour, so ours may have been a longer version, or it just felt that way.)

The detail I remember most is the pigeons. There are whole rooms carved with little niches where people raised pigeons, and I couldn’t figure out why. Were they eating them? Lisa did not want to discuss it. She turned off her listening ears.

How to Book the Underground Tour

The underground tours are guided only, so you can’t just walk in on your own. The ticket office is in Piazza del Duomo, which makes it easy to find, and tours leave at set times throughout the day. If you know you want to do it, book ahead or stop at the ticket office as soon as you arrive and plan the rest of your day around your tour time.Wear real shoes. There are stairs, uneven floors and cooler temperatures underground, which felt pretty great in August.

St. Patrick’s Well

St. Patrick’s Well, or Pozzo di San Patrizio, is the other big underground sight in Orvieto and one of the smartest pieces of design we saw there.

It was built in the 1500s so the town would still have access to water during a siege. The well is 62 meters deep and has two separate spiral ramps wrapped around each other. Mules carrying water could go down one ramp and come back up the other without having to pass each other.

I remember standing at the bottom and looking up at the light. You really feel how far down you are. Just remember that whatever you walk down, you also have to walk back up.

Shopping in Orvieto

On our second trip, we spent more time away from the Duomo and wandered through the shopping streets and restaurants in the old town. The wine shops were especially good. Lisa was cooking that night and wanted a specific bottle, so we ended up going into several shops looking for it. I don’t remember if she ever found the exact one, but I remember enjoying the search.

Orvieto is known for its white wine, so if you want to bring something home, that’s a good place to start.

Where to Eat in Orvieto

We’ve eaten well every time we’ve been in Orvieto, including on that first trip when lunch was basically the only thing we managed to do.

I wish I could give you restaurant names, but I didn’t write them down at the time and I’d rather not guess. My best advice is to walk a block or two away from Piazza del Duomo before choosing somewhere to sit down.

Where to Stay in Orvieto

On the trip when we came back for the underground tour, we stayed in the countryside near Ficulle, a small town north of Orvieto. It was quiet and made it easy to go back and forth.

If you’d rather stay in town, there are good hotels within walking distance of the Duomo. See our guide to where to stay in Umbria for the places we’d book in Orvieto and nearby.

Tips for Visiting Orvieto

Take the train and funicular. Orvieto’s train station is at the bottom of the hill, and the funicular takes you up to town in just a few minutes. If you’re driving, park below the historic center and use the funicular, escalators or elevators instead of trying to drive in.

Do not visit at noon in August. We learned that one the hard way. Go early, spend the hottest part of the day underground and save the outdoor walking for later in the afternoon.

Pace yourself. Between the hills, the underground tour and St. Patrick’s Well, there is a lot of up and down. Good shoes and a water bottle make a real difference.

Combine Orvieto with another stop. The Garden of Monsters in Bomarzo is under an hour away and works well if you’re driving to or from Rome. We cover it in our Umbria travel guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Listen to Our Umbria Episode

Want to hear more about our trips through Umbria? In this episode of The getAwayZ podcast, we talk about Orvieto, Paciano, Città della Pieve, Perugia, Lake Trasimeno and some of the road-trip stories behind them.

We also get into what we’d do differently, the places we’d go back to and why Umbria became a region we kept returning to.

Planning More Umbria Travel

Planning more time in Umbria? These guides will help with the rest of your trip.

• Umbria Travel Guide: Is It Worth Visiting Instead of Tuscany?
• Things to Do in Perugia
• Lake Trasimeno and Its Hill Towns
• Where to Stay in Umbria