No, not another medieval town with a cathedral! I almost had to drag myself to go and see Orvieto. The town is conveniently located along the A1 motorway, and built upon a giant tufa rock. Parking is at lower ground, and from there elevators and escalators take you upwards.

After a quick pizza I went looking for the Duomo. From some distance the thing looks like the one in Siena (black and white stripes), but here it's the facade that really knocks you out. There are ornaments all over it: golden and bright coloured mosaics, bas-reliefs. Complete bible stories are told at several scenes.

Will this ever become a WHS? Well, you never know. Orvieto is among the relatively recent (2006) additions to the Tentative List, so Italy probably will have plans for it. Like it did with Mantua last year.