Tours in Orvieto, Italy: what is worth seeing and visiting for inquisitive tourists?

Orvieto is a small medieval town in central Italy, which is located in a valley near the Paglia River and stands on a rock of pink tuff.

A visit to the cave city, which is located in the rock, is available only to organized tourist groups. This monument of ancient architecture dates back to the 9th century BC, therefore it is highly valued among history fans.

For a comfortable trip, many tourists prefer to use car rental services in Italy. The average cost of renting a car in Airport Ciampino is 20 euros per day, in Airport Fiumicino the cost of renting is the same as in the city, although usually renting at the airport is cheaper.

The city itself can be bypassed in one hour if you walk along the narrow streets without going into temples and cathedrals. But it is very difficult to resist such a temptation - it is thanks to the beauty of religious buildings that Orvieto has become famous among European tourists.

On the main square of the city rises the cathedral, which until the beginning of the XIII century was the residence of Bishop Francesco Monaldeschi.

In those years, Orvieto became famous throughout Italy, not only as the birthplace of the Pontiff Boniface VIII, but also as a city in which miracles take place. In 1263, during one of the services, real blood was splashed from a ritual host (unleavened cake) onto the cover of the altar, after which a reliquary was arranged to store the shrine.

The Cathedral of Orvieto was built in the Romanesque-Gothic style, its facades are decorated with elegant architectural ensembles and gilded mosaics, the main tower is complemented by low sharp spiers, pediments and friezes.

The interior of the temple is as luxurious as its exterior. The high striped columns that divide the basilica into three parts are made of dark and white stone, the same stripes adorn the basalt walls.

It is safe to say that there is no other such remarkable temple to be found in the whole world. The walls here are decorated with paintings and frescoes, mosaic panels and paintings from the life of saints shimmer brightly on them.

If you like Italy, you can celebrate the New Year in one of its major cities, and before Holy Week, visit the temple in Orvieto with stunning iconography that tells about all the important events from Antiquity to the era of Dante.

Beneath Orvieto lies a labyrinth of caves that provided the Etruscans with shelter from the rain. In one of the cells cut into the rock, Adrian's confectionery is now located - a master in the production of chocolate desserts. In the Middle Ages, white wine of the Orvieto Classico variety was stored in these caves. They say that it was because of this divine drink that the city served for a long time as a papal residence instead of the ascetic Vatican.

In the vicinity of the settlement, the remains of an Etruscan temple have been preserved, and on each of its streets there is either a Baroque palace or a Catholic church. On one of the outskirts of Orvieto is the Albornoz fortress, built in the 15th century.

There is a park next to the citadel, walking through which you find yourself in a stone well 62 meters deep. This huge water cistern with ladders and swing bridges was built to supply the fortress with water in case of defense.

Quite tiny in size, Orvieto is a real treasure trove of the cultural heritage of Italy. While relaxing in this city, you can visit museums and papal palaces, see a prehistoric necropolis with stone sarcophagi and medieval taverns.