Trattoria La Palomba
What to order: home-made umbrichelli with the sauce of the day
geocalia
Day itinerary · 42.72° N · 12.11° E
Orvieto by train: a golden cathedral and a city underground.
Train from Termini and a funicular: the cathedral of mosaics, an hour underground with a guide, umbrichelli in a trattoria from 1965 and the double-staircase well.
Leaving from
Direct flight to Roma fromBarcelona 1 h 45Alicante 2 h 15Bilbao 2 h 15Valencia 2 h 15Zaragoza 2 h 15Madrid 2 h 30Asturias 2 h 45Málaga 2 h 45Sevilla 2 h 45Fuerteventura 4 h 30
Part of Orvieto
Add to my trip
Total time10 h
By car1 h 30 each way
TicketsCarta Unica €35
Guided visitUnderground Orvieto, 1 h
DifficultyEasy; 248 steps in the well
Best timeApril – June · September – October
BookingUnderground visit
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Rome 1 h 15 by train
Regional or intercity train from Roma Termini on the Florence line
- 2 min by cable car · Funicular from the station to Piazza Cahen
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1
Orvieto Cathedral and the San Brizio Chapel
Facade, interior and San Brizio chapel · €8 or Carta Unica
- 2 min on foot
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2
Underground Orvieto: guided tour of the tuff caves
12:15 slot from Piazza Duomo, 23 · €10 · booking
+39 0763 340688
- 9 min on foot
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3
Trattoria La Palomba
Homemade umbrichelli · € · kitchen open until 14:15
Via Cipriano Manente, 16, 05018 Orvieto · +39 0763 343395
Restaurant € - 3 min on foot
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4
Climb the Torre del Moro
View of the city from above
- 15 min on foot
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5
St Patrick's Well
248 steps down and as many back up, beside the funicular
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Back home 2 min by cable car
Funicular to the station
- 1 h 15 by train · Train to Roma Termini
Approximate cost
About €20–30 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Orvieto Cathedral and the San Brizio Chapel
Orvieto is the day trip from Rome that is best done by train: the Florence line leaves you at the foot of a tuff outcrop and a funicular takes you to the top in a few minutes. Up there, the cathedral with its golden facade, a city of caves dug beneath the houses and a Renaissance well with two staircases that never cross. All on foot.
The day, hour by hour
8:30 · Train from Termini. Take a regional or an intercity towards Florence that stops at Orvieto. Opposite the station the funicular leaves for Piazza Cahen. If you are going to see three or more sites, buy the Carta Unica there, €35, which is also sold with the funicular.
10:30 · The cathedral. Look at the facade calmly before going in. Inside, go straight to the San Brizio chapel: Luca Signorelli's end of the world. Admission €8 with audioguide.
12:15 · Underground Orvieto. It leaves from Piazza Duomo 23, opposite the cathedral. An hour through caves, dovecotes and wells dug into the tuff, with a guide. Book beforehand and ask for the Spanish-language slot; if there is none, the visit is in Italian.
13:30 · Lunch at La Palomba. On Via Cipriano Manente, a trattoria run by the Cinti family since 1965: homemade umbrichelli. The kitchen closes at 14:15; closed on Wednesdays.
15:00 · The Torre del Moro. At the junction of Corso Cavour, to see the rooftops and the cathedral from above.
16:00 · The Well of St Patrick. Walk down the Corso to Piazza Cahen: 248 steps down a spiral ramp to the water and another 248 up the other.
17:15 · Return. Funicular to the station and train to Rome.
What about Sunday?
It works, with the order changed: the cathedral admits visits only from 10:00 to 11:00 and from 13:00. Go in at ten, do the underground tour at 11:00 or 12:15 and go back to the cathedral after lunch if you want more.
With children
The wells and the caves are what they like most: the underground tour lasts an hour and the Well of St Patrick is an adventure of stairs. Under-10s do not pay for the Carta Unica and under-11s for the cathedral. There is no room for pushchairs in the wells.
Time1 h 30
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
I Sette Consoli
What to order: the seasonal menu and, with dessert, a late-harvest Orvieto Classico Superiore
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Orvieto
All year. Designed for a day from Monday to Saturday; on Sunday the cathedral admits visits only from 10:00 to 11:00 and from 13:00. La Palomba is closed on Wednesdays.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Book the underground tour
At least the day before in summer and at weekends.
- 2Buy the Carta Unica on arrival
With the cathedral, the underground tour and the wells it already pays off.
- 3Check the return train time
Before taking the funicular up at the end of the day.
If it rains
The cathedral, the underground tour, the wells and the Faina museum are under cover: the plan hardly changes.
We'd skip it
Wednesday, if you want to eat at these two places: La Palomba and I Sette Consoli are closed.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How do I get from Rome to Orvieto?
By train from Termini on the Florence line and, in Orvieto, by funicular to the centre.
Do you have to book the underground visit?
It is recommended, at least the day before in summer and at weekends. In Spanish, well in advance.
How much does the day cost?
The cathedral €8, the underground tour €10, or the Carta Unica €35 with almost everything; the train and lunch are extra.
Can it be done on a Sunday?
Yes, but the cathedral admits visits only from 10:00 to 11:00 and from 13:00.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/italy/umbria/orvieto/itineraries/rome-orvieto-day-trip-by-train
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.