Orvieto, Half an Hour Away

What it is

Orvieto is an Umbrian city built, like Civita, on an outcrop of volcanic tuff, but much bigger and livelier. It is about half an hour by car from Bagnoregio and has a railway station on the Rome–Florence line, so it is the natural base if you travel without a car: COTRAL buses to Bagnoregio leave from its station. Half a day is enough for the cathedral, St Patrick's Well and a walk through the centre.

What to see

• The cathedral (Duomo). Its Gothic façade of marble and golden mosaics is the image of the city. Inside, the San Brizio chapel holds Luca Signorelli's frescoes of the Last Judgement. The Duomo ticket includes the cathedral, the Emilio Greco Museum and the cathedral's underground areas, with an audio guide.
• St Patrick's Well. A well 54 metres deep and 13 across that Antonio da Sangallo the Younger built between 1527 and 1537 for Pope Clement VII, who had taken refuge in Orvieto after the Sack of Rome, to secure water in case of siege. It has two independent spiral staircases, with 248 steps in all, so that mules could go down one and come up the other without meeting. Light enters through 72 windows. It has its own entry: check the price on the well's website before going.
• The Claudio Faina Etruscan Museum. Opposite the cathedral, with pieces from the Etruscan necropolises of the area. It can be added to the Duomo ticket.
• The centre. Streets of tuff and basalt between the cathedral, Piazza della Repubblica and the medieval quarter, with ceramics shops and views of the valley from the edges of the outcrop.

Cathedral hours and prices

The Opera del Duomo publishes this timetable for the cathedral, museums and underground areas:

• November to February: 9:30 to 17:00.
• March, April, May and October: 9:30 to 19:00.
• June to September: 9:30 to 20:00.
• Sundays and public holidays: 10:00 to 11:00 and 13:00 to 16:30 in winter, or until 17:30 from March to October.

The Duomo ticket costs €8, and with the Claudio Faina Etruscan Museum, €11. Children under 11, people with disabilities and their companion enter free; free tickets are collected at the ticket office. The Carta Unica di Orvieto, which brings together several museums and monuments, gives access to the Duomo and costs from €25. There are closing days for celebrations: on 1 January and on Corpus Christi day 2027 (30 May), the cathedral cannot be visited.

Getting there from Civita

By car, about 30 minutes from Bagnoregio. In Orvieto, park down below, next to the station, and go up to the centre on the funicular, which drops you at Piazza Cahen; from there the cathedral is a short walk. Without a car, COTRAL buses link Bagnoregio with Orvieto station: the details are under bus from Orvieto. On public holidays there are few: check the last bus back before setting out.

How to organise it

If you have one day, do Civita first thing, before the groups arrive, and go down to Orvieto after lunch: the cathedral stays open late from March to October. Or the other way round: sleep in Orvieto and drive up to Civita first thing. Allow about four hours for Orvieto: an hour and a half for the Duomo with the San Brizio chapel, one for the well and the rest for wandering.

With children

St Patrick's Well usually impresses them: going down and up the spiral staircase is an adventure, although the 248 steps are tiring. Children under 11 do not pay at the cathedral. With a pushchair, the centre is passable, but the well is not.