Orvieto

Town in Umbria, Italy, on a high plateau overlooking the River Tiber; population (2001) 20,700. Built on the site of an Etruscan town destroyed by the Romans in 280 BC, Orvieto has many Etruscan remains. The district produces white wine of the same name, and tourism is an important industry.

The town occupies an isolated position in the middle of the Paglia Valley, on a plateau formed by an ancient plug of volcanic tufa. There is a Gothic cathedral (13th–16th centuries); a palace (13th–14th centuries) formerly used by the popes; and a 13th-century Palazzo del Popolo.

The cathedral has an imposing facade with mosaics, bas-reliefs, and bronze sculptures.