The landscapes of Umbria transmit calm and tranquility, promising peace for those that cross them. Then suddenly, amid the green and rolling hills, the profile of a village, town or city will appear. Like Orvieto, accessible from every direction. It seems to stand like a mighty monolith of tuff rock surrounded by wine plantations, olive trees and rows of cypress trees. Ceramics have been worked on this reddish tuff cliff, which seems to crumble under the weight of the magnificent Gothic cathedral, since the time of the Etruscans. The production of maiolica pottery, inspired by the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, is still flourishing and is one of the most important sites of its kind in Italy.
Orvieto is a must on your trip to the Umbria region, and there are plenty of reasons to stop here. From the dizzying well, the Pozzo di San Patrizio, 54-meters deep and with 72 windows contained within, to the 360° panoramic view of the entire valley from the Torre del Moro and the walls of Albornoz Fortress. Nothing, however, will prepare you for the visual ecstasy of Orvieto Cathedral, also known as ‘the golden lily of cathedrals’, with its black-and-white marble body embellished by a facade that features rainbow frescoes, mosaics and bas-reliefs created by the most skilled artisans of the era. At Orvieto, however, you can also enjoy strolls along the streets in the center, with hidden spots waiting to be photographed, narrow alleyways full of bars and craft workshops that keep the archaic traditions of ceramics alive, while also inventing new forms from ancient materials like bucchero, a black form of ceramics created at the lathe by the Etruscans in the 5th century BC. One thing is for sure: you will fall in love with this city and the traces of color that stand out on the ancient stone houses, be they from precious ceramic pottery or simple baskets of lavender.
