Visiting Orvieto, Umbria, by Deborah Taylor

As the funicular climbs vertically out of the station and the views open up you can see why Orvietoʼs spectacular location, high on a flat volcanic extrusion, ensured that it was defensible by the Etruscans.

We had chosen this Umbrian town from a picture book loaned by a friend because it is on the main railway line from Venice to Rome (just over an hour away by train), has one of the best Gothic cathedral in Italy and is known for its excellent regional food and wines. In addition everything is within walking distance and in October there are few tourists apart from Romans visiting on weekends. There are also many museums and galleries, some with Etruscan pottery and jewellery, there is a stunning Opera House with regular performances, two wells (pozzi) to visit, and a walking track around the base of the mountain. As Orvietoʼs enviable position made it vulnerable to siege two spectacular wells were dug to ensure access to water. The building of the Pozzo di San Patrizio began around 1527 at the behest of the Pope of the day. Popes regularly escaped Rome for this safe haven. You descend the well rather like you might ascend a lighthouse but via ramp(for donkey water carriers) rather than stairs, viewing others on the same journey by the light of low block windows in the internal circular wall. If you are game you can lean out and peer down to the water 60 meters below you. Due to the finite area of land for producing food and the risk of siege, most houses had a series of chambers and tunnels beneath them. They were used for keeping food cool, growing fungi, raising pigeons (with openings in the cliff faces for entry), making wine, cheese and olive oil, and for burying waste in long narrow vaults. 

We read that pigeon was still a specialty and featured on some of the local menus. Despite asking around, we didnʼt find any but did find wonderful and inexpensive restaurants offering regional dishes and the famous Orvieto Classico white wines. Our pick of places to eat were Osteria Numero Uno, Trattoria del Moro-Aronne and Ristorante Zeppelin that also has a cooking school. We returned home with preserved truffles and vacuum-packed wild boar prosciutto, and managed to fit two beautiful ceramic wine jugs and various leather bags and belts into our swollen cases. All were wonderfully crafted and inexpensive.

The best view of the town rooftops, cathedral and surrounding countryside is from the top of the Torre del Moro. From here you can appreciate the Gothic features of the cathedral with its black and white marble banding and highly coloured façade.

We stayed at the San Lodovico monastery established in the1300s, where the charming ensuite rooms have views over the gardens and the tariff is very reasonable. An added bonus was the opportunity to practice Italian, as the very friendly sisters spoke almost no English. (Segretaria Casa di Accoglienza Religiosa San Lodovico: Istituto San Lodovico s.lodovico@orvienet.it)