Orvieto: the Duomo, a double-spiral well, winter jazz

Orvieto's two essential visits are the Duomo, where one €8 ticket covers the cathedral, the Museo Emilio Greco and the rooms beneath the cathedral, and St Patrick's Well, 54 metres deep, with two separate spiral ramps of 248² steps so that nobody going down meets anybody coming up (2026).

The Duomo: one ticket, three places

The first stone of Orvieto's Duomo was laid on November 13, 1290¹ by Pope Nicholas IV in person, and Lorenzo Maitani is the architect named with the building. In 2026 a single €8 ticket covers the cathedral, the Museo Emilio Greco and the underground rooms of the cathedral, about 800¹ square metres of them.

For €3 more you add the Museo Etrusco Claudio Faina. The supplement matters this year: the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo is closed for works, and some of its pieces are on temporary show at the Faina.

Entry is free for under 11s with an adult, licensed guides, residents of the diocese, clergy and religious, and disabled visitors with one companion. The audio guide is free through the Opera del Duomo di Orvieto app.

The San Brizio chapel

Inside the Duomo, the fresco cycle of the Cappella di San Brizio was begun by Fra Angelico in 1447¹ and completed by Luca Signorelli between 1499¹ and 1504¹. Half a century separates the first painter from the second, and the chapel carries both hands.

It's included in the €8 ticket, so there's no reason to rush it. Leave it for the end of the cathedral visit, once your eyes have adjusted to the light inside.

St Patrick's Well: down one spiral, up the other

St Patrick's Well is 54 metres deep, and you go down and come back up on two independent spiral ramps of 248² steps each, with separate entrances, so the people climbing never cross the people descending. Pope Clement VII had it dug after taking refuge in Orvieto following the Sack of Rome in 1527², on a design by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger.

A full ticket costs €6 and a reduced one €4.50 (2026). The visit takes 45 to 60 minutes, and inside the temperature stays around 14 degrees all year, so bring a layer even in August.

Opening hours change with the season: 10:00 to 17:00 in January, February, November and December, 9:00 to 19:00 in March, April, September and October, and 9:00 to 20:00 from May to August (2026).

It isn't for everyone. The round trip is 496² steps with no lift, which rules it out for anyone with serious mobility limits.

Umbria Jazz Winter, at the turn of the year

Umbria Jazz holds its winter edition in Orvieto, not in Perugia, and the 2026 to 2027 festival runs from December 30, 2026 to January 3, 2027. The winter festival was born in 1993, while the summer one has been based in Perugia, in July, since 1982.

If you're in Umbria over New Year, this is where the music is. The summer side of the festival is at events in Perugia, and the whole story at Umbria Jazz.

Getting there

Train times into Orvieto, and the link from the station up to the old town, are not published in the data verified for this page. Check the Trenitalia planner for the rail leg before you fix a day trip around the well's closing time.

The region is at Umbria, and its other town pages are Assisi and Perugia. The well is set beside Perugia's Etruscan well and Matera's cistern at two staircases that never meet.

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