Orvieto Sights and Activities

 Duomo. Orvieto’s architectural claim to fame, the striped duomo is nothing short of dazzling. Designed in the late 13th century by Sienese architect Lorenzo Maitani, the facade is an excellent example of the Italian Gothic style. Its carved marble pillars, sculptures, and mosaics miraculously avoided bombings during both World Wars and today continue to awe admirers with elaborate details and brilliant colors. The bottom level features carved bas-reliefs of the Genesis and Old Testament prophecies as well as the final panel of Maitani’s Last Judgment. Surrounding a rose window designed by Andrea Orcagna (1325-1364) are bronze and marble sculptures that illustrate the Christian canon. Thirty-three architects, 90 mosaic artisans, 152 sculptors, and 68 painters worked for over 600 years to improve the duomo, and the work continues—bronze doors were installed in 1970. (☎0763 34 11 67. Duomo open in summer M-Sa 7:30am-12:45pm and 2:30-7:15pm, Su and holidays 2:30-6:45pm; closes in winter 1-2hr. earlier. Crypt open M-F 10am-noon. Modest dress required. Free.) The Cappella della Madonna di San Brizio, also called the Cappella Nuova, off the right transept, includes Luca Signorelli’s floor-to-ceiling frescoes of the Apocalypse. His vigorous craftsmanship, mastery of human anatomy, and dramatic compositions inspired Michelangelo in his work on the Sistine Chapel. Also note da Fabriano’s Madonna and Child and the marble Pietà by di Scalza. Opposite the San Brizio chapel is the Cappella Corporale, which features stunning frescoes by Ugolino di Prete Ilario and holds the gold-encrusted Reliquario del Corporale (chalice-cloth), said to have been soaked with Christ’s blood, from the 1263 miracle of Bolsena. (Mass 9am daily; Su 8:30, 10:30am, noon, 6pm. €5, under 18 and over 65 €4, under 10 free. The ticket grants admission to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale and the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo. Audio tour €1.)

Palazzo Papale. Pope Clement VII rejected King Henry VIII’s petition to annul his marriage with Catherine of Aragon in this austere, 13th-century “Palace of the Popes.” Set back in the palazzo is the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, where visitors can examine Etruscan art from the area and walk into a restored tomb decorated with faded AD 4th-century frescoes. (To the right facing the duomo. www.archeopg.arti.beniculturali.it. Open daily 8:30am-7:30pm. €3, with entrance to Etruscan Necropolis €5; students 18-25 €1.50; EU citizens under 18 or over 65 free.) Above the archaeological museum is the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, which displays art and cultural artifacts from the 13th to 17th centuries. Featured pieces include Simone Martini’s Politico di San Domenico, Andrea Pisano’s Madonna and Child, and Francesco Mochi’s marble Annunciation. (☎0763 34 35 92; www.opsm.it. Open Apr.-Sept. daily 9:30am-7pm; Nov.-Feb. M and W-Su 9:30am-1pm and 3-5pm; Mar. and Oct. M and W-Su 9:30am-1pm and 3-6pm. €5; €4 reduced.)

Underground City. The ancient Etruscan town Velzna occupied the soft tufa of the cliff below modern Orvieto. Although Velzna was sacked by the Romans, its cisterns, mills, pottery workshops, quarries, pigeon coops, wine cellars, and burial sites lie preserved underground. Underground City Excursions runs the most complete and accessible tours of the city’s dark, twisted bowels. (☎0763 34 48 91; www.orvietounderground.it. 1hr. tours depart the tourist office daily 11am, 12:15, 4, and 5:15pm. English guided tours 11:15am and 4:15pm. €5.50, students €3.50, under 5 free.)

Chiesa Di San Giovenale. Built in AD 1000, the city’s oldest church was dedicated to its first bishop, who is represented in a fresco near the entry. Directly next to the doors on the left is a 14th-century “Tree of Life”—a family tree of the church’s founders. The church’s courtyard offers spectacular  views of the countryside below. Graves of victims of the Black Death of 1348 fill the slope below P. San Giovanni. (From P. della Repubblica, walk downhill along V. Filippeschi, which turns into V. Malabranca. The church is at the end of the street on the right.)

Museo Civico And Museo Faina. Directly opposite the duomo, these museums hold an extensive collection of Etruscan artifacts. Exhibits include collections of over 3000 coins, bronze urns, Roman ornaments, and figure vases attributed to Athenian artists from the 6th century BC. Palazzo Faina, in which the collections are housed, also sports beautifully frescoed ceilings. (P. del Duomo 29. ☎0763 34 15 11 www.museofaina.it. Open Apr.-Sept. daily 9:30am-6pm; Oct.-Mar. Tu-Su 10am-5pm. €4.50; students and over 65, families of 4, or groups of at least 15 €3.)