Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 076 334 11 67;
www.opsm.it
; Piazza Duomo; admission €3; 9.30am-7pm Mon-Sat, 1-6.30pm Sun
summer, 9.30am-1pm & 2.30-5pm Mon-Sat, 2.30-5.30pm Sun winter)
Nothing can prepare you for
the visual feast that is Orvieto's Gothic cathedral, begun in 1290. The black-and-white
marble banding of the main body of the church is overshadowed by the rainbow frescoes,
jewel-like mosaics, bas-reliefs and delicate braids of flowers and vine - as intricate as em-
broidery - adorning the facade. Bathed gold at dusk, it is a soul-stirring sight to behold.
The building took 30 years to plan and three centuries to complete. It was started by Fra
Bevignate and later additions were made by Sienese master Lorenzo Maitani, Andrea Pis-
ano (of Florence Cathedral fame) and his son Nino Pisano, Andrea Orcagna and Michele
Sanicheli.
Inside, Luca Signorelli's fresco cycle
The Last Judgement
shimmers with life. Look for
it to the right of the altar in the
Cappella di San Brizio
. Signorelli began work on the series
in 1499, and Michelangelo is said to have taken inspiration from it. Indeed, to some,
Michelangelo's masterpiece runs a close second to Signorelli's work. The
Cappella del Cor-
porale
houses a 13th-century altar cloth stained with blood that miraculously poured from
the communion bread of a priest who doubted the transubstantiation.
Next to the cathedral is the
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
(Museale dell'Opera del Duomo di Or-
vieto; 076 334 24 77;
www.museomodo.it
; Piazza Duomo 26; €4, includes Palazzi Papali & Chiesa S
Agostino; 9.30am-7pm summer, 10am-5pm Wed-Mon winter)
, which houses a clutter of reli-
gious relics from the cathedral, as well as Etruscan antiquities and works by artists such as
Simone Martini and the three Pisanos: Andrea, Nino and Giovanni.
MAKING THE MOST
OF YOUR EURO
The
Carta Unica Orvieto
(
www.cartaunica.it
;
adult/reduced €18/15) permits entry to the town's nine
main attractions (including the Cappella di San Brizio in the cathedral, Museo Claudio Faina e Civico,
Orvieto Underground, Torre del Moro and Museo dell'Opera del Duomo) and a round trip on the fu-
nicular and city buses. It can be purchased at many of the attractions, the tourist office, the Piazza Ca-
hen tourist office and the railway station.
Orvieto Underground
OFFLINE MAP
HISTORIC SITE
(
www.orvietounderground.it
;
Piazza Duomo 24; adult/reduced €6/5; tours 11am, 12.15pm, 4pm &
5.15pm daily)
The coolest place in Orvieto (literally), this series of 440 caves has been used
