Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SIGHTS
Perched precariously on a cliff made of the area's tufa stone, Orvieto also houses an im-
portant collection of Etruscan artefacts besides its magnificent cathedral. The cliff beneath
is riddled with a fascinating series of ancient underground caves.
There's a pleasant, tranquil walk around Orvieto's walls (5km) - pick up a map at the
tourist office, where you can also enquire about wine tours in the Umbrian countryside.
DUOMO
(
www.opsm.it
;
Piazza Duomo; admission €3, €5 including Cappella di S Brizio, Palazzi Papali, & Chiesa S Agostino;
9.30am-7pm Apr-Sep, 10am-5pm Wed-Mon Mar & Oct, 10am-1pm & 2-5pm Wed-Mon Nov-Feb)
Orvieto's
magnificent humbug-striped Duomo was commissioned in 1290 to celebrate the Miracle of
Bolsena, but it took 30 years to plan and three centuries to complete. The great bronze
doors, the work of Emilio Greco, were added in the 1960s.
In the
Capella di San Brizio
to the right of the altar, Luca Signorelli's fresco cycle,
Il Giudizio
Universale
(The Last Judgment), shimmers with life. Signorelli began work on the series in
1499. It is said to have inspired Michelangelo's work in the Sistine Chapel.
The
Capella del Corporale
(Chapel of the Body) houses the blood-stained altar linen from
Bolsena and features frescoes by Ugolino di Prete Ilario that depict the miracle.
CATHEDRAL
MODO
(Museale dell'Opera del Duomo di Orvieto; 0763 34 24 77; Piazza Duomo; €4, includes Palazzi Papali & Chiesa S
Agostino; 9.30am-7pm summer, 9.30am-1pm & 3-5pm Wed-Mon winter)
Housed in the former papal
palaces, MODO contains a fine collection of religious relics, as well as Etruscan antiquities
and paintings by artists such as Arnolfo di Cambio and the three Pisanos: Andrea, Nino and
Giovanni.
MUSEUM
PALAZZO PAPALI
(Piazza Duomo)
In the
Papal Palace
, you can see one of Italy's most important collections of
Etruscan archaeological artefacts in both the
Museo Archeologico Nazionale
( 0763 34 10 39; adult/
reduced €3/1.50; 8.30am-7.30pm)
and the more interesting
Museo Claudio Faina e Civico
( 0763 34
15 11;
www.museofaina.it
;
adult/reduced €8/5; 9.30am-6pm Apr-Sep, 10am-5pm Tue-Sun Oct-Mar)
. The latter
also contains some significant Greek ceramic works, mostly found near Piazza Cahen in
tombs dating to the 6th century BC.
MUSEUM
TORRE DEL MORO
HISTORIC BUILDING
