Orvieto – Starting with a visit ofthe communal gardens of Orvieto in Piazza Cahen, inside the Albornoz Fortress, you can enjoy a beautiful view of the valley below. From there you are one minute away from the nearby St. Patrick’s Well, whose descent is always exciting and evocative. Your itinerary continues with the visit of the city by taking main street Corso Cavour street – mostly pedestrian and with limited traffic – and you can quietly walk by the Torre del Moro, Piazza del Duomo and visit the city cathedral; in this square are the main museums and the ticket office for Orvieto Underground and the Orvieto Walk. On another side of the city, at the promenade of Viale Carducci, better known as the Viale della Confaloniera, there is a large play area for children.
Civita di Bagnoregio
Civita di Bagnoregio
(25 km from Orvieto)
This enchanting village in Lazio is a few minutes away from Orvieto (by car and by public transport) and thanks to its unique features, looks like a large open air museum. With very few inhabitants and its picturesque streets remained and dilapidated houses are passable only on foot. Still on foot it is the only way to access it along the picturesque suspension bridge over a valley. Civita is a perfect place for a quiet, charming walk also enjoying the beautiful panorama of the valley of gullies that opens all around the village. The hamlet has been repeatedly also the natural set for films, including Pinocchio.
Also recommended for families and children the naturalistic museum and natural park of Valle dei Calanchi which is accessed from the nearby town of Lubriano.
Oasi WWF Alviano
Oasi di Alviano (29 km from Orvieto)
A few kilometers from Orvieto, the oasis is a protected natural park and managed by the WWF and is home to numerous species of birds and is accessible by guided tours, a paradise for lovers of nature and the bird-watching.
The Oasis is open to the public for tours from 1 September to 31 May, on Sundays and holidays, from 10:00 am until sunset. Closed on 25 and 26 December and 1 and 6 January. For information and details you can visit this site: www.oasidialviano.org
Alviano Castle: The basement now houses the Museum of civilization which displays the most important tools and utensils used by families alvianesi between the late 1800s and the postwar period. In the basement is the multimedia Museum of Bartolomeo d’Alviano was inaugurated on July 1, 2000, it is an educational museum complete with images and projections, a study center and a computer room that is available to anyone; due to its characteristics it is particularly suitable for children and school children of all levels.
- For information: Museum System (Infoline: 199 151 123).
Parco & Museo vulcanologico di San Venanzo (39 km from Orvieto)
Going up to Mount Peglia where is the Park of the Sette Frati with numerous paths and green areas for picnics, continue towards the village of San Venanzo.
In San Venanzo is a small and curious museum exhibiting fossils, dinosaur skeletons and minerals found in the area around the area where well-265,000 years ago there were 3 small volcanoes called “bonsai volcanoes” because of their size. Curiosity of the place is the presence of “venanzite”, a mineral that is named after the country itself, and that is only in this territory.
This green area that is a real open air museum, a path that winds through a pleasant walk of about 2.5 km, along which you can trace the history of the three volcanoes and between others see the remains of an ancient quarry of millstones testifying the ancient local mining activities.
- For information on schedules and availability: Comune di San Venanzo, see the specific website: www.visitasanvenanzo.it
Parco dei Mostri Bomarzo
Parco dei Mostri di Bomarzo (40 km from Orvieto)
From Orvieto take the A1 motorway with Bomarzo exit is easy to reach this famous town of Lazio for its fantastic Monsters Park or Bosco Sacro.
The park (created in 1552) is in a large green area with trees and trails by foot. Along these paths and under the cool shade of its ancient trees are witnessing a succession of stone statues depicting mythological characters, animals and monsters. The park was created at the behest of the noble Orsini and statues shaped by renowned architect Pirro Ligorio (historic and important figure of the past who worked for several prominent families and to whom we owe valuable works such as well as Villa d ‘Este in Tivoli). The statues like the path have an allegorical meaning.There are also children’s playground and picnic area.
- Info and tickets: Admission fee: €13.00 per person (children 8 years and up €8.00). https://www.sacrobosco.eu/
Bosco Monumentale del Sasseto (28 km from Orvieto)
Just outside the walls of the fairytale Lazio village of Torre Alfina, the monumental wood of Sasseto is an area to be discovered. It is partially immersed in the vast Selva di Meana, and with its centuries-old trees, the large stones of volcanic origin, the rays of light that pass between the foliage of the trees, it reveals an evocative environment that brings back to the beauty of film sets, only here everything is natural, an enchanted place to visit suitable for children as well. A place that emanates tranquility and peace to the point that even the Marquis Cahen wanted to create his tomb there: a splendid Gothic mausoleum that still fascinates today. Not far from the wood, the Museo del Fiore is also interesting with paths that can be easily traveled even with the little ones.
- More information: Tourist Office – Ape Regina Association: +39 0763-730246 (educational activities) or +39 0763-730065 (tourist activities).
