Orvieto Underground

Orvieto Underground Review

More than just about any other town, Orvieto has grown from its own foundations—if one were to remove from present-day Orvieto all the building materials that were dug up from below, there would hardly be a building left standing. The Etruscans, the Romans, and those who followed dug into the tufa (the same soft volcanic rock from which catacombs were made), and over the centuries created more than 1,000 separate cisterns, caves, secret passages, storage areas, and production areas for wine and olive oil. Some of the tufa removed was used as building blocks for the city that exists today, and some was partly ground into pozzolana, which was made into mortar. The most thorough Orvieto Underground tour (Orvieto tourism office, Piazza del Duomo 24 0763/341772) is run daily at 11, 12:15, 4, and 5:15. (In February tours are given only on weekends.) Admission for the hour-long English tour is €6.

Pozzo della Cava. If you're short on time but still want a look at what it was like in the cisterns and caves beneath the city, head for the Pozzo della Cava, an Etruscan well for spring water. It's open Tuesday through Friday from 9 to 8, and costs €3. Via della Cava 28, 05018. 0763/342373.