If you thought the city had already shown off its best architectural, artistic and archaeological gems, you still have a whole hidden world to discover underground: a real city, under the city. Commonly referred to as ‘Orvieto Sotterranea’ or ‘Orvieto Underground’, this is an extraordinary, extensive and captivating world, as impressive if not more so, than the city above ground, where you can wander through a maze of over 1200 cavities, amongst tunnels, canals, ancient caves, cisterns and wells originating in different eras. Here, in the bowels of the earth, you’ll find the Museo delle Maioliche Medievali e Rinascimentali Orvietane (Museum of Medieval and Renaissance Maiolica Ceramics from Orvieto), just one of the many city collections that preserve the countless remains of an historically and culturally rich civilisation. To get a broader overview, visit the Museo Archeologico Nazionale and the Museo Civico Faina, both in Piazza del Duomo. And if museums are not your thing, Orvieto will still amaze you by revealing the richness of the surrounding area at the foot of the tuff cliff. Starting from Piazza Cahen in the city, lovers of trekking and nature will be able to walk for about five km around the entire perimeter of the bass of the tuff butte on which the city stands, the so-called Anello della Rupe (literally ‘Ring of the Cliff’), alternating between fabulous natural scenery to traces of ancient civilisations: the Etruscan necropolises of Crocifisso del Tufo and della Cannicella, as well as the famous Fanum Voltumnae. These wonders of the past, located so close to the historic centre, still have much to tell tourists and curious visitors. At this point, if you’re tired but feel satisfied, drive a few kilometres to the south to another unmissable site, the Badia (Abbazia dei Santi Severo e Martirio), an imposing 9th-century building that, despite being transformed into a modern accommodation facility, still retains all the magic of medieval devotion with its 12-sided tower and other rooms that can be visited, making you feel suspended in time and space…
What are you waiting for?