|
 The
traveller who approaches Orvieto by train or by car, sees from a
distance the city which rises on a plateau of volcanic tuff,
surrounded by a stupendous landscape of fields and vineyards. The
unbreachable walls appear to encircle the city rather than elevate
it, as though it were a fortress rising on the flat valley floor of
the river Paglia.
Because of its location, because of its Etruscan roots, because of
its charming medieval character, and above all because of its
celebrated Cathedral which is a gem of Gothic architecture, Orvieto
is one of Italy's most unique and interesting cities.
There are 10,000 people who live in the city itself and another
15,000 in the valley and in the surrounding hills. |
