Have you been to Orvieto?

[Olwyn]

Hi Everyone!

We have booked a tour to Orvieto on the day we stop in Civitavecchia, because we have all been to Rome in the past, and a friend of mine highly recommended Orvieto.

Just wondering if any of you have been, and if you think it is worth the drive from the port?

Olwyn:D

[cruiseluv]

Yes, we did this from Civitavecchia a couple of years ago. We loved Orvieto, in fact I'm looking forward to going again in the future. The Cathedral is the highlight , but in addition to that it is a lovely town.

[CorgiGuy]

Hi Everyone!

We have booked a tour to Orvieto on the day we stop in Civitavecchia, because we have all been to Rome in the past, and a friend of mine highly recommended Orvieto.

Just wondering if any of you have been, and if you think it is worth the drive from the port?

Olwyn:D

 

Hi,

 

We took a full day tour this past September from Civitavecchia with Rome In limo. One of the three towns we visited was Orvieto. Highly recommend it.

 

Several area worth noting:

 

The Duomo is amazing & a must see regardless of one's religion!!! Just standing in front of the main doors and looking up at the facade of the building, its' hard to believe the amount of detail, who one considers the tools available when the Duomo was constructed. Inside is stunning as well, especially the raised organ on the left wall towards the front near the alter. I would also suggest that you pay the small fee to enter into the alter to the right of the main alter. The wall & ceiling frescos are spectacular.

 

When you walk outside of the duomo, accross the street on your left there is an office where you can purchase tour tickets to the underground caverns that honeycomb the town. The cost is very reasonable and the guide very knowledgable. As you walk through the underground it was facinating to her the guide explain how the caverns were utilized back in their day.

 

If you walk down the street with the dumo on your right, you will come to the shopping area.

 

If you have some extra time there is a town nearby that probably one of the most unique towns in all of Italy, and it has tremendous views of the countryside. It is called Civita de Bagnoregio, if you go I bet you will never forget it. It is atop a plateau overlooking the Tiber River valley. Town was founded by Etruscans over 2,500 years ago. Few tourists know about it. It is abount 20-25 minutes from Orvieto, sort of on the way back toward Civitavecchia. I'm sure your tour driver knows about it.

 

If you'd like to see some pictures from Civita di Bagnoregio, I will be glad to share them with you. Just e-mail me at Apep33@ptd.net if interested.

 

Stay well,

 

Anthony

[Hlitner]

Orvieto is a delightful smallish hill town and a nice drive from Civitavecchia. The route also gives you the opportunity to stop at other towns along the way. Hertz is the most convenient car rental company in "Civ" since its only a 2 block walk from the port entrance (you can take the free port shuttle bus from ship to the port entrance).

 

Hank

[sunsetbeachgal]

Ditto comments above by CorgiGuy...Orvieto is a wonderful place and we loved Civita di Bagniorno (See Rick Steve's Italy goidebook for more explanation). Probably one of the most unique places we have been to!

[shua22]

We went to Orvieto in 2006. We were staying in Spoleto and drove around to many of the interesting towns. The Cathedral is indeed the highlight of this town and in addition the hilltop views of the surrounding countryside were breathtaking. I don't think there's enough to do there to occupy an entire day and I would definitely consider following the advice of some of the prior responders.... In addition to their suggestions, we stopped in a small town called Pienza on the same day as Orvietto and found it to be beyond charming. It was the highlight of the day for me. We also went to Montepulciano on that day and very much enjoyed that hilly town.

[nparmelee]

We went to Orvieto this last May as part of our pre-cruise stay. There is potentially enough to do for a full day, do your research and it depends on what interests you. There is the underground tour, the well, the cathedral, the shops...... We thought the shops here were a little more expensive than many of the other towns (comparing similar items) such as Siena, Pienza, Montepulciano, so you may want to keep that in mind.

[skinut]

we too are considering a visit via rental car to Orvieto on our post-cruise day. Did you also stop in Viterbo? It appears to be on the way from Civitavecchia. We have plenty of time, just need to get back to a Rome airport hotel that evening.