Set high on a hill in ancient Umbria, Orvieto commands the modern incarnation of the classical-era highway between Rome and Florence.
Three thousand years ago Orvieto was an important Etruscan hill city, long before that classical civilization was conquered and assimilated by the early Roman republic. Orvieto continued to be an important center of commerce and art and its wine and olive oil industries thrived throughout the Roman era, as they do today. Umbria and neighboring Tuscany became early centers of the Renaissance – the cultural flowering of art, philosophy and science that grew out of Italy and transformed the Europe of the Middle Ages.
Orvieto’s magnificent old cathedral – the Duomo – includes the Signorelli Chapel, whose beautifully preserved frescoes are said to have inspired Michelangelo’s work in the Sistine Chapel.
The city remains renowned for its fine art and exquisite craftsmanship today. Orvieto is home to Livio Orazio Valentini, among Italy’s most noted artists, and local potters produce beautiful works that are much sought after by collectors.
Orvieto was Aiken’s first partner city and it maintains a close and active relationship with PIF today.
