Orvieto () is a city and comune in the Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy, situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff. The city rises dramatically above the almost-vertical faces of tuff<!--NOT tufa--> cliffs that are completed by defensive walls built of the same stone.

Etymology

The name Orvieto derives from the Latin Urbs vetus ("old city"), a designation that appears for the first time in Procopius in the form Οὐρβιβεντός. It is also attested in Paul the Deacon (Historia Langobardorum, IV, 32). The name was adopted in contrast to the "new" Volsinii established by the Romans on a different site.

History

Antiquity

Volsinii, whose origins are ancient and unknown, was one of the most prosperous cities of Etruria, as attested by the monuments of its necropolis. Ancient coins bearing the name velsu are known. The location of Etruscan Volsinii long remained uncertain, with some placing it at Bolsena and others at the site of Orvieto; it is now identified with the hill on which Orvieto stands, as shown by numerous necropolises, while the Roman Volsinii occupied the site of modern Bolsena, as demonstrated by excavations and discoveries of Roman antiquities.

In 1199 the rector Pietro di Parenzo was killed, after which the noble consuls who had governed for 230 years were replaced by a podestà. In 1200 the bishop Riccardo was elected podestà, and Gualfredo Bovacciano, bishop of Chiusi, became captain of the people. This system lasted about 140 years.

Late Middle Ages

The transfer of the papal seat to Avignon led to decline. Internal conflicts resumed, including violent episodes in the 14th century.

It rises in isolation amid fertile countryside near the confluence of the Paglia and Chiani rivers. Its position rendered walls unnecessary, as it is naturally fortified and accessible only by a single steep way, making defense possible with minimal forces.

The territory is characterized by fertile hills and is crossed across its entire length by the road from Città della Pieve to Montefiascone, passing through Orvieto.

In 2021, 3,175 people lived in rural dispersed dwellings not assigned to any named locality. Orvieto ware, tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica) was originally manufactured at Orvieto, where it has been produced since the 13th century.

The Italian bank Cassa di Risparmio di Orvieto was based in the city.

Demographics

At the end of the 13th century, Orvieto is estimated to have had about 30,000 inhabitants.

The post-war period marked Orvieto's demographic high tide. By 1951 the population had climbed to 24,422, reaching its peak of 25,088 in 1961.

Sant'Andrea e San Bartolomeo

The church of Sant'Andrea e San Bartolomeo has an unknown foundation and is built with three naves supported by eight granite columns. In 977 Pope Benedict VII had the mosaic pavement executed, traces of which remain before the high altar. The site is held to coincide with the ancient forum of Volsinii and the temple of Juno Herbana.

It is the best-preserved monument of Etruscan Orvieto. The temple was discovered in 1828 during works for the construction of the Via Cassia Nuova. Surviving remains include the walls and foundation cuts, which show a plan with a pronaos at the front with four columns, behind which opened a space divided into three adjoining cellae, the central one larger than the lateral ones. The temple, oriented to the southeast, stands on a high rectangular podium measuring in length, with a front width of and a rear width of . Access was by way of a ramp placed centrally in relation to the area before the entrance, framed by a quadrangular enclosure.

Saint Anselm College has set up a program where each summer, students travel to Italy to work at the college's archaeology site located at the Coriglia excavation site, just outside town.

Education

Alongside Saint Anselm College, Orvieto also hosts a study abroad program with the University of Arizona founded by archaeologist David Soren.

Notable people

Notable figures in the sciences include Federico di Ottone Monaldeschi dell'Aquila, judge in the Capitoline court and prelate of the Segnatura; Pietro Paolo Febei, judge in the Capitoline court and podestà of Ferrara; Ermanno Monaldeschi, podestà of Florence and governor of Romagna (1288); Alessandro Monaldeschi, scholar and Capitoline official; Gezio Orvietano, jurist sent to Wenceslaus, king of Bohemia, to reform the kingdom's laws; Pietro d'Ancarano, canonist and civil law lecturer at Bologna, consultant to the Republic of Venice; and Girolamo Magoni, jurist and podestà of Florence and Lucca, author of Decisiones Lucenses et Florentinae.

  • Givors, France
  • Maebashi, Japan
  • Aiken, United States
  • Seinäjoki, Finland
  • Kercem, Malta

References

Further reading

  • Castagnoli, Donata. 2013. "The Wine-Producing Territory of Orvieto." Journal of Wine Research 24 (4): 253–63.
  • Donati, Roberto. 1986. Orvieto: Art, History, Folklore. Narni, Italy: Plurigraf.
  • George, David B., and Claudio Bizzarri. 2015. "A field report of the excavations of Cavità 254 in Orvieto (2012–2014)." Etruscan Studies 18 (1): 40–53.
  • James, Sara Nair. 2003. Signorelli and Fra Angelico at Orvieto: Liturgy, Poetry, and a Vision of the End-Time. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate.
  • Riess, Jonathan B., and Luca Signorelli. 1995. The Renaissance Antichrist: Luca Signorelli's Orvieto Frescoes. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
  • Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici dell' Umbria National Archaeological Museum of Orvieto, eng.archeopg.arti.beniculturali.it; accessed 26 March 2015.