Orvieto Cathedral

Orvieto is a day trip that pays off. The town sits on a flat-topped tuff plateau high above the plain, ringed by cliffs and reached by funicular from the railway station. At its heart stands the Duomo, one of the great Italian Gothic cathedrals, begun in 1290 to house the relic of the Miracle of Bolsena, a cloth stained, according to tradition, with blood from a consecrated host in 1263. The facade is a glittering sheet of mosaics, sculpted reliefs and stonework, the work of Lorenzo Maitani and others, with scenes from Genesis and the Last Judgment, changing color as the sun moves across it. Inside, the walls are striped in black and white like a Tuscan church, and the true treasures lie in two chapels. The Chapel of San Brizio holds Luca Signorelli's frescoes of the End of the World and the Last Judgment, painted from 1499 to 1504, with muscular nudes, falling sinners and rising bodies that are said to have influenced Michelangelo. The Chapel of the Corporal houses the reliquary of the miracle. Together they make the cathedral one of the highlights of any central Italian itinerary.

A combined tour of the cathedral and the underground caves is a sensible way to see Orvieto. The guided format covers the facade's iconography and the Signorelli cycle, then descends into the tuff, where the town has carved hundreds of caves over three millennia for wells, cisterns, storerooms, pigeon coops and olive presses. The two together give above-ground and below-ground views of the same rock-cut city.

Planning is simple but worth doing. Cathedral entry is usually by a combined ticket with other town sites, and the Chapel of San Brizio is included. Dress modestly, and expect limited access during services. Midday light flatters the facade, though late afternoon is lovely too.

Allow about an hour for the cathedral and two to three hours for the cathedral and caves. After the tour, climb the Torre del Moro for the town view, walk to the rim for the plain, and see St Patrick's Well, a 16th-century double-helix well built by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger.

Orvieto is easy from Perugia and from Rome. Trains from Rome take roughly an hour and a quarter, and from Perugia a little longer with a change, and the funicular from the station to Piazza Cahen runs frequently. Cars are restricted in the center, so park at the lower station. The town is also known for its white wine, Orvieto Classico, and for its ceramics and lace.

Try a glass with lunch, then buy a bottle for the road. Orvieto rewards those who linger past the tour bus hours, so consider an overnight to see the cathedral lit after dark, one of the loveliest sights in Umbria.

To get the most from the facade, stand back across the square for the full composition, then walk closer to read the sculpted panels at the base. Photographers often return at different times of day because the mosaics shift color from pale gold to deep amber. Inside, bring patience for the Signorelli chapel, where seats are scarce and a small pair of binoculars or a camera zoom helps bring the high frescoes to life. Combine your visit with lunch on Via del Duomo, where trattorie serve Orvieto Classico, wild boar and truffle dishes.