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Orvieto
About an hour and a half drive from Assisi, Orvieto sits on a volcanic tufa-rock plateau, an impregnable position cleverly selected by the Etruscans, probably its first inhabitants.
After exploring the Etruscan tombs outside the city, a funicular up the tufo plateau takes you to the centro storico of Orvieto. A walk up one of the main streets takes you past the workshops of many an artisan, winding past the 13th c. municipal palace. Not far way, uncover Etruscan ruins in a medieval church and stop to visit the workshop of a famed wood-worker.
You'll want to take in the wonders of Orvieto's zebra-striped Gothic Duomo - and not just the famous splendid Renaissance fresco cycle of Luca Signorelli. A masterpiece of the "international Gothic" style adorns the cathedral and 13th-century relics fascinate the visitor, as well as one of the finest existing examples of Sienese goldsmith/inlay work of the 14th -c.
Michelangelo's Pieta is the most famous. The one in Orvieto rivals.
If you're on the "Etruscan trail", you won't want to miss the town's Etruscan collection.
Hungry? Wonderful family-run restaurants tucked away in the medieval backstreets offer the best in local cuisine.
Click here to read about Orvieto's superb winter festival
Read about nearby Lake Bolsena
Click here to read about an amazing festival in nearby Bolsena
Read about nearby Lubriano's curious festival