By Our Editorial Staff
A city with a thousand-year history, a treasure chest perched on a tuff cliff capable of exciting in a different way in every season of the year. From Christmas to spring, Orvieto is an ever-new discovery, as authentic as the experience it can offer to visitors who arrive and who are not only amazed by the grandeur of the Duomo or the engineering masterpiece of St. Patrick’s Well but immerse themselves completely in the life, traditions, and rhythms of the city. This is thanks to the welcome of Orvieto and the people of Orvieto, also recognized and rewarded by Booking.com which has included the city among the ten most welcoming destinations in the world in 2025, the only Italian reality to be able to boast this title.
And how do you experience the most beautiful party of the year in the most welcoming Italian city in the world? The magic of Christmas envelops the wonders of Orvieto and makes the atmosphere truly unique. The claim that accompanies the rich program of Christmas initiatives from November 20 to January 6 – “At Christmas give yourself Orvieto” – is an invitation to put a gift made of history, art, culture and food and wine under the tree.
A large Christmas tree illuminates Piazza Duomo and keeps the golden façade of the Cathedral company for the duration of the holidays, while the lights lowered into the 60 meters depth of St. Patrick’s Well give an even more evocative and warm atmosphere to the work of Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, commissioned by Pope in 1527, who took refuge in Orvieto after the Sack of Rome. In Piazza della Repubblica, the Town Hall and the majestic dodecagonal tower of the church of Sant’Andrea are transformed into real magical palaces thanks to the artistic lightings that are the background and frame of the skating rink and the traditional Christmas market where you can find typical products, handicrafts and decorations.
At Christmas, the medieval district of Orvieto, dominated by the beautiful church of San Giovenale, the oldest in the city, becomes the “nativity scene district”. Here, for 36 years, in the caves of the hypogeum complex of the Pozzo della Cava, an exciting nativity scene with life-size automatons has been set up that every year fascinates and causes discussion by telling the Nativity from the different perspectives of the protagonists of the story. In the garden of the church of San Giovenale, on the other hand, history comes to life with an engaging living nativity scene that reconstructs the atmosphere of Bethlehem in those days. But these are only the main events of a circuit of nativity scenes that counts on over thirty handicraft representations visible in the palaces and churches of the historic centre and hamlets.
This year, the historic centre of the city will be the evocative setting for the passage of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic torch and on Monday 8 December the torchbearers will cross the symbolic places of Orvieto, from Piazza Duomo to the bottom of the Pozzo di San Patrizio. But you know, Christmas is for girls and boys and families in the shadow of the Duomo find several opportunities to reconcile a cultural holiday with the needs of the little ones. Themed guided tours, workshops and the inevitable Santa Claus village are among the ingredients of the Christmas program. Some of the most important and iconic places in the city such as the Pozzo di San Patrizio, the Mancinelli Theater and the Torre del Moro, a symbol of the medieval city that stands on the cliff with its 50 meters in height offering a 360-degree panorama of the entire historic centre and the surrounding landscape. In the Ciconia district, on the other hand, space for imagination and fun with the colourful village of Santa Claus while, as per tradition, on January 6 the Befana descends from the top of the Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo with the help of the firefighters to bring sweets to the little ones.
For children there is also another way to discover the history and beauty of Orvieto. “Armed” with smartphones, they will be able to give life to Anna, the mascot of the city in augmented reality that takes its name from an illustrious Orvieto citizen, the late actress Anna Marchesini. Just look for her on the signs of the tourist pedestrian signs scattered around the historic centre and frame her with your mobile phone to see her animate and wear various clothes, from the Etruscan woman to those of the medieval lady, through which she will tell the history of the city and the most curious anecdotes. A story of Orvieto within reach of children is also that of the special audio guide found on Orvieto Christmas Tour, the electric minibus that touches the main streets, alleys and squares of the city.
Alongside the traditional events, Christmas on the Rupe also offers the opportunity to treat yourself to interesting cultural initiatives. Recently in Orvieto, the Fanum Voltumnae, the federal sanctuary of Etruscan cities, has re-emerged from the earth, a sensational discovery that has brought to light precious finds. This and more will be discussed at the Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo in the International Conference of Studies on the History and Archaeology of Etruria. At Christmas you can’t miss a good book under the tree and in Orvieto the advice on the latest releases not to be missed comes with the 28th edition of “The talking book”, a cycle of meetings with authors that this year in the program can count on guests such as the journalist Aldo Cazzullo, the patron of Eataly Oscar Farinetti, the actor and TV presenter Enzo Iacchetti and the president of Slow Food, Barbara Nappini. Walking through the streets of the historic centre, even at Christmas, you cannot fail to find time for a food and wine break with a glass of Orvieto Doc wine or a bite of the typical Orvieto snail, a tasty seasoned bread rolled up with a shape similar to a snail that has recently also become a Slow Food presidium. The opportunity to do so can also be found by participating in Orvieto City of Taste and Art (19-21 December) which celebrates the combination of art and food and wine with tasting itineraries and markets of typical products in the most beautiful places of the city.
For those who want to get to know the area even more deeply, the Orvieto Experience app, created by the Municipality of Orvieto, comes to the rescue, which is a real compass to guide visitors in search of experiences such as wine tastings in the cellar and oil in the oil mills but also to try their hand at ceramic workshops in the many shops that can still be found in the historic centre and that carry on one of the artisan traditions oldest in the city. In the same app you can also find the numerous outdoor activities that the Orvieto area offers, from walks to bike and horseback riding itineraries.
After the Christmas dinner then you can look forward to the New Year’s Eve which in Orvieto, for over 30 years, has been celebrated to the rhythm of jazz. Umbria Jazz Winter returns to Orvieto from December 30 to January 3, five days in which the historic centre, the Mancinelli Theater, the Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo and the Emilio Greco Museum will be the setting for concerts, meetings and jam sessions that confirm the festival as one of the most evocative musical events on the Italian scene.
This year ample space is given to Italian jazz and, in particular, to the piano. A special evening will bring together three absolute protagonists of the European scene: Stefano Bollani, Dado Moroni and Danilo Rea. A trio that more than others embody the essence of jazz as dialogue and improvisation, where technical competence and collective play intertwine without barriers. The piano will also be the protagonist with Enrico Pieranunzi, a central figure of the Italian jazz tradition, and with Antonio Faraò, who presents a new version of the “Eklektik” project, an evolution of the 2017 album, in a renewed line-up but with the same spirit of research. Among the most eagerly awaited instrumentalists is Fabrizio Bosso, now a historic presence on the Umbria Jazz billboards. The trumpeter, considered one of the most intense and versatile on the contemporary scene, will be engaged in several formations: in trio, in quartet, in the “About Ten” project and in a tribute to Ornette Coleman, together with Rosario Giuliani, ten years after the death of the great innovator. With “Pepper Legacy”, conceived by saxophonist Gaspare Pasini, the festival pays homage to Art Pepper on the centenary of his birth. George Cables, pianist among the most linked to Pepper, David Williams and Willie Jones III, will also take the stage, as well as saxophonist Piero Odorici as a special guest.
Then come Pasquale and Luigi Grasso, Italian brothers who have been active abroad for years, who since 2011 have been carrying on a quartet permanently considered among the most interesting realities of European jazz. Debut in Orvieto for the British vocalist Emma Smith, young but already the protagonist of collaborations with artists of the calibre of Michael Bublé, Quincy Jones Orchestra, Gregory Porter and Bobby McFerrin. There will also be a look at early jazz with the Chicago Stompers, an Italian formation internationally known for hot jazz, and with the Brassense, a brass quintet that plays between tradition and reinvention.
The program is completed with the enthralling energy of the Funk Off, an inevitable presence in the streets and squares of the festival, and with the gospel events, entrusted to Marquinn Middleton & The Miracle Chorale who will be the protagonists on January 1st of the Mass of Peace that is celebrated in the Duomo.
The cultural and artistic proposals are certainly one of the reasons to enjoy a visit or a weekend in Orvieto and the splendid Mancinelli Theater, directed by the TV presenter and actor Pino Strabioli, is the beating heart of this dynamic activity. The new season “In luce” also during the Christmas period offers a rich and varied program of events. These include Filippo Timi with his “Hamlet 2” (30 November), Gianfelice Imparato in the role of “Il medico dei pazzi” (7 December), and Paolo Crepet’s “Tale at the Theatre” (17 December). The beginning of the new year will then be just as crackling with Giorgio Pasotti’s “Otello” (11 January), the tribute to Andrea Camilleri “A Saturday, with friends” with Alessandra Mortelliti (24 January), the comedy of social media star Giuseppe Ninno Mandrake in “La famiglia Embarrassi – Embarrassiamoci tour” (7 February), Barbara Foria in “Just a thread of lipstick” (8 February), the irreverent Angelo Duro in the latest show “Ho tre belle notizie” (12 February), and Luca Bizzarri and Francesco Montanari protagonists of “Il medico dei maiali” (14 February).
Thus we arrive at the Valentine’s Day weekend in which Orvieto turns into the ideal city where to spend a romantic holiday with its alleys and monuments that change their “skin” again to give an unforgettable memory. In February “Fall in love with Orvieto” takes place, a romantic and evocative experience to discover the “hidden city”, the one made up of its incredible undergrounds. Not only the Pozzo di San Patrizio and the Pozzo della Cava but also the caves of Orvieto Underground, where you can admire a medieval oil mill, the basement of the Duomo and those of the church of Sant’Andrea which with the different stratifications represent a real identity card of the city, or even the mysterious “Hadrian’s Labyrinth”.
The initiatives include guided tours of the underground, pottery workshops, tastings of typical products and concerts but above all the special event “La Luna nel Pozzo”. In fact, a bright moon falls in the Pozzo di San Patrizio under which couples are invited to swear eternal love in the heart of the cliff of Orvieto.
In short, from Christmas to Valentine’s Day, Orvieto shows all its nuances: the city lights up with lights, tells its story through music, history and its most authentic traditions, and then becomes more intimate, silent and profound, inviting you to discover its hidden soul. This is the charm of Orvieto: a beauty that does not end on the first visit, but that continues to reveal itself, season after season, to those who choose to really experience it. A simple, direct and sincere invitation: treat yourself to Orvieto and, step by step, fall in love with it.
The complete program of A Natale regalati Orvieto on https://liveorvieto.com/blog/2021/10/26/a-natale-regalati-orvieto/
All tourist info about the city: www.liveorvieto.com
