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

> One €8 ticket covers Orvieto's Duomo, the Emilio Greco museum and the cathedral's underground rooms. St Patrick's Well is 54 m deep and costs €6 (2026).

URL: https://myitalia.it/towns/orvieto
Last updated: 2026-09-11

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 248 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, 1290 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 800 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 1447 and completed by Luca Signorelli between 1499 and 1504. 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 248 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 1527, 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 496 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](/towns/perugia/events), and the whole story at [Umbria Jazz](/events/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](/regions/umbria), and its other town pages are [Assisi](/towns/assisi) and [Perugia](/towns/perugia). The well is set beside Perugia's Etruscan well and Matera's cistern at [two staircases that never meet](/stories/two-staircases-that-never-meet).

## FAQ

### How much is the Orvieto Duomo ticket?

€8 in 2026, and it covers the cathedral, the Museo Emilio Greco and the underground rooms below the cathedral. For €3 more you add the Museo Etrusco Claudio Faina. Under 11s with an adult, diocese residents and disabled visitors with a companion enter free.

### How deep is St Patrick's Well in Orvieto?

54 metres. Two independent spiral ramps of 248 steps each, with separate entrances, let people go down and come up without crossing. Pope Clement VII had it dug after taking refuge in Orvieto following the Sack of Rome in 1527.

### Is St Patrick's Well accessible for people with limited mobility?

No. The visit means 496 steps down and back up with no lift, so it isn't suitable for anyone with serious mobility limits. Inside, the temperature stays around 14 degrees all year, so bring a layer even in August.

### When is Umbria Jazz Winter 2026?

From December 30, 2026 to January 3, 2027, in Orvieto. Umbria Jazz Winter, born in 1993, is held in Orvieto rather than Perugia, while the summer festival stays in Perugia in July.

### Who painted the San Brizio chapel in Orvieto?

Fra Angelico began the fresco cycle in 1447, and Luca Signorelli completed it between 1499 and 1504. The chapel is inside Orvieto's Duomo, whose first stone was laid on November 13, 1290 by Pope Nicholas IV.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| La prima pietra del Duomo di Orvieto fu posata il 13 novembre 1290 da papa Niccolo' IV in persona; il biglietto unico da 8 euro comprende Duomo, Museo Emilio Greco e sotterranei della cattedrale (circa 800 metri quadrati), e con 3 euro in piu' si aggiunge il Museo Etrusco Claudio Faina. Nella Cappella di San Brizio il ciclo di affreschi fu iniziato dal Beato Angelico nel 1447 e completato da Luca Signorelli fra il 1499 e il 1504 (2026). | [Opera del Duomo di Orvieto](https://www.duomodiorvieto.it/duomo-di-orvieto/le-origini); [doc 2](https://www.duomodiorvieto.it/biglietti/biglietti-singoli) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Il Pozzo di San Patrizio a Orvieto e' profondo 54 metri e si scende e risale su due rampe elicoidali indipendenti da 248 gradini ciascuna, con ingressi separati, cosi' che chi sale non incroci mai chi scende: lo fece scavare papa Clemente VII, rifugiatosi a Orvieto dopo il Sacco di Roma del 1527, su progetto di Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane. Il biglietto costa 6 euro (ridotto 4,50) e all'interno la temperatura resta intorno ai 14 gradi tutto l'anno (2026). | [CoopCulture (concessionario dei servizi per il Comune di Orvieto)](https://www.coopculture.it/it/poi/pozzo-di-san-patrizio/); [Pozzo di San Patrizio - biglietteria ufficiale](https://pozzodisanpatrizio.it/orari-biglietti-pozzo-di-san-patrizio/) | high | 2027-06-30 |
| Umbria Jazz ha una seconda edizione invernale che non si tiene a Perugia ma a Orvieto, fra Capodanno e l'Epifania: nel 2026-2027 Umbria Jazz Winter va dal 30 dicembre 2026 al 3 gennaio 2027. | [Fondazione di Partecipazione Umbria Jazz](https://www.umbriajazz.it/) | medium | 2027-01-31 |
| Umbria Jazz nasce nel 1973 su idea di Carlo Pagnotta, con il primo concerto il 23 agosto 1973 a Villalago di Piediluco; dal 1982 il festival estivo ha sede stabile a Perugia in luglio, mentre Umbria Jazz Winter, nato nel 1993, si tiene a Orvieto tra Natale e Capodanno. | [Fondazione di Partecipazione Umbria Jazz](https://www.umbriajazz.it/storia/); [doc 2](https://www.umbriajazz.it/) | medium | 2099-12-31 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/town.orvieto.v2.1600.jpg
Author: NikonZ7II. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panorama_di_Orvieto.jpg

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/paesi/orvieto.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/pueblos/orvieto.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/villages/orvieto.md
- de: https://myitalia.it/de/orte/orvieto.md