Orvieto
is a place of great historical importance. So you see tourists the whole
year round. Lots of them only visit the well known cathedral, the
cathedral square and the central street full of ceramics and souvenir
shops. They are wrong, because there is a lot more to see in this city and
even more in the surrounding area. You have to go right through Orvieto to
get a real impression of the unfamiliar setting of the city and the
gleaming city walls on the volcanic tuff stone hill, plus characteristic
monuments and museums with Etruscan finds. From Orvieto, which is near the
Milan-Rome motorway, you can easily visit large parts of south Tuscany and then the shimmering lake of Bolsena.
On
a hill 3 km from Orvieto, from which you can usually see the well known
Cathedral glimmering in the sunlight, stands the Residence in a big park.
Carefully maintained, with a green lawn and a swimming pool. Five
apartments have been renovated and furnished in the old style, partly with
antiques. A few have a large terrace. Everything really in style.
SOUTHERN UMBRIA (Orvieto Area)
In Umbria, a
region that has gained a name for being the green heart of Italy,
tourism is growing because of the
unfamiliar harmony between nature, antiquities, historic centres and
culture. The quiet of
the countryside, good provisions and an inimitable cuisine are the great
draw.
Southern Umbria forms an ideal starting point for
enjoying the peace of the surrounding hill and mountain landscape and on
the other hand making at least 40 trips by car to sparkling towns like
Todi, Orvieto, Narni, Spoleto, Viterbo (15 to 40 min.) or Perugia, Gubbio,
Spello, Assisi, Tuscania and Tarquinia on the coast with a magnificent
little museum of Etruscan art and Etruscan tombs with 2,300-year-old
frescos (60-75 min.) or somewhat farther north the Etruscan ruins at Volci.
In the more immediate surroundings there are numerous charming little
villages -
of medieval origin -
which are increasingly being renovated for weekend and summer tourism: San
Restituta, Civita di Bagnoreggio, Lugnano, Stroncone, Labro (max. 40 min),
Montefranco, Arrone, etc. Hard by also lie the vast ruins of the Roman
city of Carsulae.
You can also easily visit places in the southern part of Tuscany by car
such as Siena, San Giminiano, Pienza, Cortona, Sinalunga, etc.
Many
tourists visit Rome once or more times, by car or by train from the stations:
Terni, Narni-Amelia or Orte.
And we must not forget the mountains with some splendid woods, e.g.
Terminillo (up to 2000 metres by car). In 30 to 60 minutes you can also
reach the shimmering lakes of Bracciano, Vico, Piediluco, Bolsena and
Trasimeno. The Mediterranean Sea
and the sand beaches situated between Tarquinia and Chiarone are 90 Kms
away (around 1h20 driving). Near the city of Terni ii is also possible to visit the Marmore falls, there is nearby also a rafting/canoeing/hydrospeed center.
