Why Orvieto Built a Whole Second City — Directly Beneath the First

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Orvieto sits on a cliff of volcanic rock so sheer it barely seems possible. From the valley below, the city looks as though it was placed there by mistake — balanced at the edge of a 300-metre drop that the Etruscans chose very deliberately. But what most visitors never realise is that Orvieto doesn’t end at street level. It continues downward, through centuries of carved rock, into a hidden world that has been growing beneath the city for 3,000 years.

Built on Rock That Cannot Be Trusted

Orvieto stands on tufa — a soft, porous volcanic stone formed when a nearby volcano collapsed thousands of years ago. The rock made the hilltop easy to defend and easy to carve. But tufa has a flaw: over time, it crumbles.

Every time the city needed a new well, a cellar, a storage room, or a hidden passage, Orvietans dug into the rock beneath their feet. Over three millennia, those individual tunnels and chambers slowly joined together to form something far larger than anyone had planned — a subterranean city running under almost every street and building above.

Today, the underground network covers more than 1,200 caves, tunnels, and chambers. Most of it has only been mapped and explored in the last 30 years.

The Etruscans Went Down First

Long before the Romans arrived, the Etruscans settled Orvieto around 900 BC and called it Velzna. They found the hilltop defensible and the soft rock beneath it immediately useful.

They began carving cisterns to collect rainwater, cool cellars to store grain and wine, and tunnels to move between buildings without being seen. Some of these original Etruscan chambers sit 36 metres below street level — so deep that the temperature stays almost constant year-round, summer and winter alike.

When Rome conquered Velzna in 264 BC and forcibly relocated its entire population, much of what the Etruscans had built was sealed and forgotten beneath the rubble of a new city rising above.

What Medieval Orvietans Discovered

Centuries later, Orvieto rebuilt itself directly above the Etruscan remains. Medieval residents broke through into existing chambers and began expanding them. They added dovecotes to raise pigeons for food, and olive mills to press oil underground — where the cool, stable temperature made the work easier and the oil better.

They also carved wells. Orvieto has more than 100 wells cut straight down through the tufa, many of them connected to the broader tunnel network. Water could be moved around the city without anyone going above ground — a practical advantage when sieges were a regular feature of Italian medieval life.

The craftsmanship is striking even now. Some wells are perfectly circular, cut with a precision that surprises engineers who study them today. The chisel marks of the workers are still visible in many sections, preserved in stone that has barely changed.

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The Well That Became a Masterpiece

The most remarkable structure in Orvieto’s underground is the Pozzo di San Patrizio — Saint Patrick’s Well. It was commissioned in 1527 by Pope Clement VII, who had fled Rome after the city was sacked and needed a reliable water supply in case Orvieto too came under siege.

The well descends 53 metres through solid tufa and is wide enough for a horse and cart. Its designer — the architect Antonio da Sangallo the Younger — gave it two completely separate spiralling staircases that never intersect. Workers descended one staircase carrying empty containers and ascended the other carrying water, so the flow of traffic never tangled at any point.

Standing at the top and looking down, the two helical staircases twist around each other like a double strand of stone. It is one of the engineering wonders of the Renaissance, and most people drive past Orvieto without knowing it exists.

Why the Underground Mattered So Much

Orvieto was repeatedly besieged throughout the medieval period. Being on top of a sheer cliff helped — attackers couldn’t scale the walls easily — but it also meant the city could be starved out by anyone patient enough to wait.

The underground solved that problem directly. It provided storage for years of food supplies, hidden routes between key buildings, and water sources that no enemy army could reach or poison. For the people who lived here, the tunnels beneath the streets were not a curiosity. They were the reason Orvieto survived. You can also explore why Umbria as a whole remains one of Italy’s most rewarding and least visited regions for those planning time in this part of the country.

Visiting Orvieto Today

Guided tours of the underground city take small groups into the original Etruscan tunnels, medieval olive mills, and the deep cisterns. Some sections are so narrow that visitors walk single file. The temperature drops noticeably as you go deeper, and the silence feels absolute.

Above ground, the Duomo di Orvieto is one of the finest Gothic cathedrals in Italy — its gold mosaic facade visible from the far end of the main square. Most visitors combine both: the cathedral glittering in the afternoon light and the carved darkness 30 metres below it.

Orvieto is around 90 minutes by train from Rome, making it one of the most satisfying day trips from the capital. It is also an easy drive from Rome’s Trastevere neighbourhood, if you are spending time in the city before heading north into Umbria. Most people who visit find that a single day is not quite enough.

Frequently Asked Questions About Orvieto

What is the underground city of Orvieto?

Orvieto’s underground city is a network of more than 1,200 tunnels, cisterns, caves, and chambers carved into the volcanic tufa rock beneath the city over 3,000 years, beginning with the Etruscans and expanded through the medieval period. It includes ancient wells, olive mills, dovecotes, and escape routes that stretch 30 to 36 metres below street level.

How do I visit the underground city in Orvieto?

Guided tours of Orvieto’s underground depart regularly from the main square, Piazza Duomo, and last approximately one hour. Booking ahead is recommended in peak season. Tours include sections of Etruscan tunnels, medieval olive mills, and cisterns, and are conducted in English as well as Italian.

How do I get to Orvieto from Rome?

Orvieto is approximately 90 minutes from Rome by regional train, with regular departures from Roma Termini. The train station sits in the valley below the city, but a funicular railway runs directly up to the old town centre. Orvieto is also accessible by car from the A1 motorway, about 90 minutes north of Rome.

What else is worth seeing in Orvieto?

The Duomo di Orvieto is one of Italy’s finest Gothic cathedrals, with extraordinary gold mosaics on its facade and frescoes by Luca Signorelli inside. The Pozzo di San Patrizio — the Renaissance double-helix well — is a separate attraction a short walk from the cathedral. The old town is compact and easily explored on foot in half a day.

You Might Also Enjoy

If Orvieto has caught your interest, there is much more to discover in the surrounding region and beyond:

• Why Umbria Is the Italy That Tuscany Tourists Always Miss — the rolling green region that most visitors overlook entirely
• Why Trastevere Is the Part of Rome That Romans Actually Call Home — the neighbourhood to explore before taking the train north to Orvieto
• What Rome Built 2,000 Years Ago That You Can Still Drink From Today — another story of extraordinary ancient engineering just down the road

Plan Your Italy Trip

Ready to plan your visit to Orvieto and beyond? Our complete Italy travel guide covers everything from where to stay and when to go, to the hidden towns most itineraries miss entirely.

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