Orvieto

Informations on Orvieto

History of Orvieto

The history of Orvieto begins in the first millennium BC, when the first Etruscan people occupied inside the tufaceous caves strewn on the cliff where today stands the city. The most credited theory identifies the city with the Etruscan Velzna, a very important center for the Etruscans, as nearby was one of the most important shrines, where people of all nations where gathered annually for major festivities in honor of the Etruscan god Vertumnus. In the third century BC internal struggles between the plebs and noble erupted; the latter probably asked Romans to help, who in 264 BC invaded and destroyed the city, raiding monuments and statues and deporting the inhabitants on the shores of Lake of Bolsena, where the city of Novi Volsinii was founded. With the fall of the Roman Empire, the site of the ancient Orvieto was more defensible and was founded a new city, which in memory of the ancient origins was called Urbs Vetus, hence the current name. In the early Middle Ages Orvieto suffered Gotics invasions and was then conquered by the Byzantines, to finally pass under the control of the Duchy of Spoleto. Later became a free, prosperous city, whose domain extended by up to Orbetello, Valdichiana and the Tyrrhenian Sea. During this period Orvieto could rival Rome to greatness, glory and military power; however, in the fourteenth century began the intestine struggle between the great families of the city, the Guelf Monaldeschi and the Ghibelline Filippeschi, which caused the gradual weakening until the conquest in 1364 by the legacy of Pope, Cardinal Egidio Albornoz. Orvieto was very important for the papacy; in the city important events occurred: for example, in 1216 Pope Innocent III, frm the pulpits of the Church of St. Andrew, had proclaimed the Fourth Crusade, in 1281, in the same church, in the presence of Charles I of Anjou, was elevated to the papacy Pope Martin IV and, in 1297, in the church of St. Francis, was the canonization of Louis of France, by Pope Boniface VIII. Orvieto came under the domain of various lordships, before returning under the direct rule of the papacy in 1450, to stay up to the Unity of Italy.

Attractions in Orvieto

Places and monuments of interest in Orvieto

Orvieto offers many places of interest for tourists. First the Cathedral of Orvieto, whose construction began in 1263 by the will of Pope Urban IV as a result of the miracle of blood which came out from the blessed bread while a Bohemian priest celebrating the Holy Mass in the Basilica of St. Cristina in Bolsena, is a wonderful Gothic building with a facade consists of a polyptych with valuable mosaic decorations.
Saint Patrick's well is a great hydraulic work, wanted in 1527 by Pope Clement VII who refused in Orvieto after the sack of Rome. The project was entrusted to Antonio da Sangallo the Younger and the well was completed in 1537; the well goes down to 62 meters deep and the structure is characterized by a double-helix staircase, designed to facilitate the transport of water backstroke mules. Other places to be visited are:
Palace Soliano (1297)
Papal Palace
Torre del Moro, incorporated in the Palazzo dei Sette
Town Hall
Palazzo del Popolo
The Necropolis of the Crucifix Tufo and Cannicella
Church of San Giovenale
Church of Sant'Andrea
Via della Cava
Church of St. Dominic, built on the ruins of a pagan temple
The Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
Archaeological Museum
The funicular of Orvieto

Accomodations in Orvieto:

Bed and breakfast Sant'angelo 42 in Orvieto

Bed and breakfast Inmo in Orvieto

Bed and breakfast Ripa Medici in Orvieto

Farmhouse L'elmo in Orvieto

Bed and breakfast Il Cedro di Orvieto in Orvieto

Farmhouse Il Poggio Di Orvieto in Orvieto

Bed and breakfast B. & B. La Palma in Orvieto

Bed and breakfast Gorini in Orvieto

Farmhouse Agriturismo La Petrara in Orvieto

Holiday houses Residenza Monteporzano in Orvieto

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Orvieto Città del vino

Orvieto Città slow food

Frazioni of Orvieto: Bagni, Bardano, Baschi Scalo, Benano, Biagio, Botto, Buon Viaggio, Canale, Canonica, Capretta, Ciconia, Colonnetta di Prodo, Corbara, Fossatello, Morrano, Mossa del Palio, Orvieto Scalo, Osa, Osarella, Osteria Nuova, Padella, Ponte del Sole, Prodo, Rocca Ripesena, San Bartolomeo, San Faustino, Sferracavallo, Stazione di Castiglione in Teverina, Sugano, Titignano, Tordimonte, Torre San Severo