Orvieto,Italy

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May 14, 2008

Orvieto, Italy

This morning we drove from Livorno, after a quiet evening and night aboard the ferry from Sardinia, to Orvieto, Italy.

Orvieto is a very interesting hilltop city that has been occupied for thousands of years. The city is home to a very famous cathedreal, and an important example of neo-gothic architecture, that is the highlite of the city. The city has buildings from midevial times as well as ruins from much older times. Old Orvieto was saved from bombing in the second world war because of the Cathedral but all the newer areas surrounding the old city were completely destroyed.

The city is built on a hilltop and under the city are thousands of caves dug into the soft volcanic ash that forms the base for the city. Tunnelling and more caves have been banned in fears of the city collapsing. I took a small tour underground to several public caves with a bit of history of the digs.
Most of the caves are private and are accessable from the hilltop homes and businesses and are still used as cellars and workshops.

We spent the afternoon walking the city and looking at the sites and shops. ( Obviously a great tourist trap now ! ) This is a very interesting place and well worth the stop for anyone visiting the area.

Tomorrow we will travel to Sorrento via Rome and Naples. We have visited both before and will bypass them on this adventure.

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