Orvieto (Umbria): pop. 30,000 [ MAP ] 

Orvieto is situated in Central Italy, between the cities of Rome, Assisi and Siena,  among three regions, Umbria, Lazio and Tuscany. Orvieto was an Etruscan City and had great importance in medieval times. Nowadays, Orvieto is an extraordinary artistic and cultural center, rich in monuments and places to visit. 

The City is perched on a tufa rock, 325 meters high and    enjoys a spectacular view of the valley, streets  of Orvieto are charmingly medieval, lined with  buildings made from the volcanic stuff , and away from the main tourist routes they are pleasantly peaceful. A tour around the edge of the town offers fantastic views over the surrounding countryside.

 The most important Italian Highway (Autostrada A1 Rome- Florence) passes at short distance. Orvieto is 100km from Rome on the main Rome-Florence railway line, and is well-served by trains.

From Rome, the journey takes just over an hour making it a perfect base for day trips. Tourists got off the train can reach the historical city center by means of a Funicular running from the bottom to the top and viceversa every 15 minutes.  Next to the train station also is a good public transportation by bus connecting the modern with the ancient town and with the whole Orvieto area.

It is worth stopping at the bar or giornali by the station to purchase a "Carta Orvieto Unica." This is a cumulative round-trip ticket for the funicular and a minibus trip, the Cappella della Madonna di San Brizio, the "Underground Orvieto" tour, the Museo Claudio Faina, and the Torre del Moro, all well worth doing and the ticket is a good value at 12.50 euros or less for elders and large groups (The validity of the Card is of one year)