Orvieto Deep Dive

Two years ago we went out of our way to check Orvieto off the list.  Like most places we have been in Italy, it is a place we'd return to in a heartbeat.  This time Orvieto was on the way, so we put down three nights.  Given the extra time we had and the rainy weather, we invested in the Orvieto Carta Unica, 10+ sites for 20 Euros, which kept us very busy. 

The highlight was the Signorelli Chapel in the Duomo.  I cannot believe we were such philistines for missing it the first time around.  The Signorelli Chapel predates the Sistine Chapel by 40 years and its Last Judgement is unsurpassed by Michelangelo.  While Saint Patrick's Well was immediately striking, Etruscan culture finally made an impression on us through the multitude of artifacts at multiple sites.

The Orvieto Underground tour (incl. Carta Unica) was pretty cool: medieval olive presses and dovecotes, and an ancient Etruscan well; all in tunnels underneath the city.








We visited several museums that featured Etruscan pottery from the 6th Century BC. Some vases are influenced by Greek vases to varying degrees. Black buchareo is an Etruscan original.








Oh...and this head.


We walked by the Duomo about 10 times - it is the center of the city. Each time the weather and light was different.








The entrance ticket for the Duomo is included in the Carta Unica. The highlight by far is the Chapel of San Brizio, executed by Luca Signorelli around 1449, some 40 years before Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel.


Hell.


Resurrection.


The preaching of the AntiChrist (left).


Pieta.




Looking to the rear of the Duomo.


Pano.


The Duomo Museo has the original Madonna that was over the main doors.


We started out on a walk around the base of Orvieto's City Wall and got caught in the rain; bummer, but then a rainbow.






I've (John) have been looking forward to Saint Patrick's Well (Pozzo di S. Patrizio)for months. It did not disappoint. From wikipedia: The architect-engineer Antonio da Sangallo the Younger surrounded the central well shaft with two spiral ramps in a double helix, accessed by two doors, which allowed mules to carry empty and full water vessels separately in downward and upward directions without obstruction. The cylindrical well is 53.15 metres (174.4 ft) deep with a base diameter of 13 metres (43 ft). There are 248 steps and 70 windows provide illumination.












The locals come out around 5pm for their evening stroll la passeggiata after the day-tripping tourists have left.


The next day we completed our walk around the base of the walls, stopping at the amazing, Etruscan Necropolis on the way.












San Sebastian, one of my fav Catholic saints.


We had a short conversation across the rooftops with the man in yellow. "Where are you going?"


Evening views of the Duomo from atop Torre del Moro and on the ground.










And a few more views from the top of the tower.