There is no better way to get a sense of Orvieto's multilayered history than to take a tour of the maze of tunnels and chambers that make up Orvieto Underground. Members of an Umbrian speleological club lead small groups down below street level to explain the origins of the tufa plateau on which Orvieto sits and to reveal the fascinating purposes to which these hidden caverns were put. 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. The price of the hour-long English tour is EUR 5.50. If you are short on time but still want a look at what it was like down there, head for the Pozzo della Cava (Via della Cava 28. 0763/342373), an Etruscan well for spring water. It's open Tuesday through Friday from 8 to 8, and costs EUR 3.
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