In Umbria, away from the high mountains of the Appenines, there are hundreds of ancient towns and villages which sit on top of hills or ridges established there in times gone by when defence was important; they are a defining characteristics of much of the region. There is no finer example than the city of Orvieto in the south western part of the province - one of my favourite places for a trip out when we are staying in Umbria. It perches on top of a sheer sided cliff and when travelling south on the A1 motorway from Castigleone I'm always keen to pick out the 325m high flat plateau on which the city sits and spot the outline of its spectacular gothic cathedral - they are the signs that tell me we are nearly at our destination!
To take the journey by car from the modern part of the town at the foot of the cliff is to follow a road which winds up the side of the cliff, It takes only a few minutes and the views of the valley below become increasingly dramatic as the altitude increases. At the top there's a large car park from which its possible to walk in to town. An alternative route for those arriving by bus or train is a funicular railway which has a starting point close to the railway station entrance.
There are layers of human history to be discovered in the old part of town on top of the plateau and these go all the way back to the Etruscan period several hundred years before the birth of Christ. The Etruscan name for the city was Velzna and the Romans converted this to Urbs Vetus (old city) and its this root which eventually evolved in to the familiar name of Orvieto. The city's peak came in the medieval period when it became a significant commercial centre with hinterlands extending northwards and to the coast. In the middle of the 15th century it became a refuge and home from home for the papacy and 32 popes are known to have stayed here. Pope Leo XIII called its magnificent cathedral "the Golden Lily of Italian cathedrals" commenting that on the day of judgement it would float to heaven carried by its own beauty, High praise indeed. It's a must see sight but its not what I want to concentrate on here - more about it in another post.
The volcanic origins of the plateau on which the old city and cathedral sit is a reminder of the geological instability that characterises much of this central part of Italy. Remnants of old volcanoes are everywhere and earthquakes are commonplace to the people of Umbria. This huge plateau is a vestigial chunk in fact of four volcanoes and consists largely of a softish rock called TUFA. Erosion of this has contributed to mineral rich soils in the valleys below and its these that have led to Orvieto's reputation as a major area for the cultivation of vines and the production of excellent wines which are known the world over.
The softish nature of the tufa from the earliest times made the excavation of underground cave systems possible and today there are over 1300 hundred of them beneath the city - many of them starting life as Etruscan wells. During the medieval period a number of these were further exploited and developed for building stone and the resultant caves were used for raising pigeons, keeping wine in, storing olive oil and even for safety when the well being of the city was threatened, During bombing raids in World War II the inhabitants of Orvieto sought shelter in the cave systems in the tufa. Today the cave networks are accessible to the public and opposite the cathedral there is a ticket bureau offering visitors tours, in different languages, of these underground labyrinths. I have to confess to not having tried these for I find myself feeling a bit claustrophobic in confined spaces like these, but each year thousands of visitors follow the guides down in to the caverns and come back with wonderful tales of their experiences, including ones telling of amazing views of the valleys below from natural windows in the rock where the tunnels run parallel with the cliff wall.
But our reason for travelling to Orvieto in late December 2017 was to see one specific underground feature which I'd read about in several books about Umbria and this time I wasn't going to let my fear of underground spaces spoil my attempt to see it. It's near the car park in the Piazza Cahen at the top of the hill - just a short walk from it down a path next to the terminus of the funicalar railway and its so discreetly placed we have missed it on previous visits to the city.
The structure I'm talking about is a 16th century well called the POZZO SAN PATRIZIO and the entrance is housed in a circular building with a shallow conical roof. It was designed by Antonio da Sangello the Younger for Pope Clement VII who had arrived in Orvieto disguised as a greengrocer after the Sack of Rome by Imperial troops of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1527. Fearing an attack by Imperial troops the Pope was keen to see a well dug which would guarantee the water supply of his new household and the town. Work on the well began in 1529 and it took 10 years to complete and it is an amzing piece of design and engineering, being both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
It consists of a vertical shaft just over 40 feet wide and getting on for 200 feet deep - the top half constructed from dug out tufa and the bottom section brick lined. Adjacent to the shaft are two circular staircases constructed in the form of a double helix (it's design resembles the molecular form of DNA in fact) which never intersect. These provided pathways for donkeys to descend to the water level and to return to the surface carrying panniers of water. The staircases are illuminated by 72 window piercings in the wall of the shaft which was an ingenious solution avoiding the need for artificial lighting. I know what your thinking now - did I make it to the bottom and back via the alternative staircase? Well - the mind was willing but the flesh was weak and I was put off by the sign at the entrance which said the journey was not for the feeble, the claustrophic or for those with a dodgy heart. So - I descended about 60 or 70 feet and looked down at the water level through one of the windows and then returned to the surface on the same stairs I'd gone down on. Despite not making it to the bottom I wouldn't have missed seeing it for anything. It was quite simply remarkable.
Oh and there's another interesting little footnote to add to the story. The well is famous throughout Italy and there's an anecdote that goes along the lines of "people who are tight with their money have pockets as deep as the Pozzo di San Patrizio". I also forgot to mention that the well was originally named because of its supposed similarity to the Irish cave where Saint Patrick died. I don't know whether that is true or not. What I do know is that this wonderful construction is not to be missed if you ever visit Orvieto. It's open every day (shorter hours in Winter) and there are discounts for the over 60's. It's free to go down but you pay 3 euros 50 to come back up!! We paid 7 euros for the two of us - a bit of a bargain I thought!
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| ORIVIETO SITS ON TOP OF A MASSIVE TUFA PLATEAU |
To take the journey by car from the modern part of the town at the foot of the cliff is to follow a road which winds up the side of the cliff, It takes only a few minutes and the views of the valley below become increasingly dramatic as the altitude increases. At the top there's a large car park from which its possible to walk in to town. An alternative route for those arriving by bus or train is a funicular railway which has a starting point close to the railway station entrance.
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| A VIEW OF THE VALLEY FROM A WALL JUST OFF CATHEDRAL SQUARE IN ORVIETO |
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| THE FACADE OF THE MAGNIFICENT GOTHIC CATHEDRAL IN THE UMBRIAN CITY OF ORVIETO |
The softish nature of the tufa from the earliest times made the excavation of underground cave systems possible and today there are over 1300 hundred of them beneath the city - many of them starting life as Etruscan wells. During the medieval period a number of these were further exploited and developed for building stone and the resultant caves were used for raising pigeons, keeping wine in, storing olive oil and even for safety when the well being of the city was threatened, During bombing raids in World War II the inhabitants of Orvieto sought shelter in the cave systems in the tufa. Today the cave networks are accessible to the public and opposite the cathedral there is a ticket bureau offering visitors tours, in different languages, of these underground labyrinths. I have to confess to not having tried these for I find myself feeling a bit claustrophobic in confined spaces like these, but each year thousands of visitors follow the guides down in to the caverns and come back with wonderful tales of their experiences, including ones telling of amazing views of the valleys below from natural windows in the rock where the tunnels run parallel with the cliff wall.
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| PART OF THE UNDERGROUND CAVE SYSTEM BEANEATH THE CENTRE OF THE OLD PART OF ORVIETO. |
But our reason for travelling to Orvieto in late December 2017 was to see one specific underground feature which I'd read about in several books about Umbria and this time I wasn't going to let my fear of underground spaces spoil my attempt to see it. It's near the car park in the Piazza Cahen at the top of the hill - just a short walk from it down a path next to the terminus of the funicalar railway and its so discreetly placed we have missed it on previous visits to the city.
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| THE ENTRANCE TO THE POZZO SAN PATRIZIO PERCHED ON A LEDGE OF THE TUFA OUTCROP - ORVIETO. |
The structure I'm talking about is a 16th century well called the POZZO SAN PATRIZIO and the entrance is housed in a circular building with a shallow conical roof. It was designed by Antonio da Sangello the Younger for Pope Clement VII who had arrived in Orvieto disguised as a greengrocer after the Sack of Rome by Imperial troops of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1527. Fearing an attack by Imperial troops the Pope was keen to see a well dug which would guarantee the water supply of his new household and the town. Work on the well began in 1529 and it took 10 years to complete and it is an amzing piece of design and engineering, being both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
 |
| DESIGN FOR THE POZZO SAN PATRIZIO BY ANTONIO DA SANGELLO THE YOUNGER - 1529 |
It consists of a vertical shaft just over 40 feet wide and getting on for 200 feet deep - the top half constructed from dug out tufa and the bottom section brick lined. Adjacent to the shaft are two circular staircases constructed in the form of a double helix (it's design resembles the molecular form of DNA in fact) which never intersect. These provided pathways for donkeys to descend to the water level and to return to the surface carrying panniers of water. The staircases are illuminated by 72 window piercings in the wall of the shaft which was an ingenious solution avoiding the need for artificial lighting. I know what your thinking now - did I make it to the bottom and back via the alternative staircase? Well - the mind was willing but the flesh was weak and I was put off by the sign at the entrance which said the journey was not for the feeble, the claustrophic or for those with a dodgy heart. So - I descended about 60 or 70 feet and looked down at the water level through one of the windows and then returned to the surface on the same stairs I'd gone down on. Despite not making it to the bottom I wouldn't have missed seeing it for anything. It was quite simply remarkable.
 |
| MY VIEW OF THE BOTTOM OF THE WELL FROM THE DOWNWARD STAIRCASE POZZO SAN PATRIZIO - ORVIETO |
Oh and there's another interesting little footnote to add to the story. The well is famous throughout Italy and there's an anecdote that goes along the lines of "people who are tight with their money have pockets as deep as the Pozzo di San Patrizio". I also forgot to mention that the well was originally named because of its supposed similarity to the Irish cave where Saint Patrick died. I don't know whether that is true or not. What I do know is that this wonderful construction is not to be missed if you ever visit Orvieto. It's open every day (shorter hours in Winter) and there are discounts for the over 60's. It's free to go down but you pay 3 euros 50 to come back up!! We paid 7 euros for the two of us - a bit of a bargain I thought!
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