Orvieto Underground

Beneath Orvieto's streets lies an extraordinary network of Etruscan and medieval tunnels, wells, cisterns, olive presses, and caves carved directly into the volcanic tufa on which the town sits. The network contains more than 1,200 documented rooms and tunnels spread across the rock — some dating back 2,500 years, others added and modified through the medieval period. Guided tours run from the tourist office in Piazza del Duomo.

The tours descend through multiple layers of history: Etruscan cisterns and dovecotes, medieval wells and cellars, and the distinctive tufa-cut spaces that were used for everything from wine storage to wartime shelters. The cool temperature underground provides a welcome contrast to summer heat on the streets above. Tours run in English and Italian; booking ahead is recommended in high season.

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A story
The Etruscans who settled the plateau of Orvieto (they called it Velzna) discovered that the soft tufa rock could be cut with iron tools as easily as cheese. Over centuries they carved a city beneath the city: tunnels connecting houses, cisterns collecting rainwater, wine cellars, dovecotes, storage rooms, and olive presses — all underground. Some of the tunnels were later used as escape routes during medieval sieges, and others as air raid shelters in World War II.