!!!Orvieto

by Dmitry Moiseenko and Stas Sedov,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

31 October 2014

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

Italy is an amazing country with a relatively small territory that hosts
an incredible number of ancient historical, cultural, and architectural
monuments. However, not all of them are equally famous.

Our virtual tour will show you a picturesque Italy, with its ancient
history and rich heritage, based on 3 cities: Orvieto, Cortona, and
Siena. Today we offer you the first of three virtual tours of the city
of Orvieto.

[{Image src='01_Orvieto, Italy.jpg' caption='Orvieto, Italy' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='509'}]

In the southwest part of Ubmria, situated on the flat summit of a large
butte of volcanic tuff, there is the small city of Orvieto. The
Etruscans founded the city, which was later on taken by Rome. Thomas
Aquinas, a famous philosopher and theologian, taught here at the end of
the 13th century. The city of Orvieto was under the Papal rule up to the
middle of the 19th century, after which it became a part of united
Italy.

[{Image src='02_Orvieto, Italy.jpg' caption='Orvieto, Italy' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='509'}]

Unique landmarks are hidden behind every corner of the city: there are
fragments of the 2,000-year-old wall built by the Etruscans in Orvieto
as well as a necropolis. The underground of Orvieto is yet another
unusual historical monument. Although we only photograph panoramas from
a bird's eye view, the underground labyrinths are worth mentioning. They
came to life over 3,000 years ago when local people dug caves to store
food or search for tuff, which was used to build their houses.

[{Image src='03_Orvieto, Italy.jpg' caption='Orvieto, Italy' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='424'}]

In addition to the secret underground city (it is now open for
tourists), Orvieto also managed to preserve other ancient relics. For
example, the San Giovenale church, built in 1004 over a pre-existing
pagan temple of Jupiter, is the oldest church in Orvieto and is one of
the oldest churches in the entire Italy.

The 13th century architecture includes the papal palaces, the Palazzo
del Capitano del Popolo palace, and the Roman-Gothic Cathedral (Duomo)
with mosaics, stain glass windows, and sculptures. A century later the
Albornoz fortress was built in the city (it was destroyed quickly after
construction and then restored again). The Pozzo di S. Patrizio or "Well
of St. Patrick" (62 meters long and 13 meters wide), which served as a
refuge for the Pope in the 16th century, still leaves modern engineers
in awe.

[{Image src='04_Orvieto, Italy.jpg' caption='Orvieto, Italy' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='509'}]

Modern day Orvieto consists of two parts: the old town on top of the
hill and the new one located on the lower level. The city of Orvieto is
also called a "slow town" — people here prefer a slower pace of life,
enjoying the present moment without stress or hassle.

\\ \\
[4 Panoramas of Orvieto|Geography/Europe/Italy/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Orvieto]










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