Orvieto & Civita

Orvieto is substantially bigger. Civita is very small. From the parking lot you have to walk up up up on the bridge. There is not many accommodation in the hill town so spending night there would be fantastic experience and no crowds whatsoever. Civita and Orvieto are about 25 km apart. No problem to catch the train in Orvieto. Parking in Civita is not difficult but carrying luggage from the car could be.

We stayed in Civita in a B&B, with it's own restaurant. It was wonderful! At night, the town is dark, and you can see the stars perfectly. And listen to all the cuckoo birds. The restaurant had the best food, and the hosts were great.
https://www.bedandbreakfast.eu/bed-and-breakfast/bagnoregio/civita-b-b/339048

It all depends on what you like and what interests you. Orvieto actually has more than a day’s worth of sights. Its duomo is one of the most beautiful in Italy. There is a museum very close by with Etruscan finds, as well as several other small museums. There is an underground area that can be toured. Just walking through the medieval center is fun.

As for Civita, in my opinion it is a testament to RS’s power that he has convinced so many people that that insignificant, almost abandoned hamlet is worth visiting. It’s a kind of Potemkin village. Almost no one lives there. What’s there has been revived strictly for tourists. If you stand at the foot of the pedestrian bridge, or up a little higher, you can see all you need to see, namely a few buildings sitting on an ever-eroding mesa.

I think Orvieto is very beautiful and enjoyable, especially early and late in the day, when the day trippers are gone. Som excellent restaurants, some interesting shops, and many sites and experiences. I loved Orvieto.
Civita is also beautiful, even if it has become a purely tourist site. Hardly anyone lives there, and I believe those are mostly people serving tourists. Still, I expect spending the night in Civita, with a late night stroll, would be a unique and memorable experience.
About parking near Civita, be careful with the day of the week. I went from Orvieto to Civita with a car and driver on a weekend, Sunday I think. Our plan was to park the car near the pedestrian bridge, and for the driver to accompany me walking to Civita. But every parking space was full, there were no parking spaces anywhere nearby, so he dropped me off and then we met up a couple hours later. I found Civita full of other tourists, Italians, and learned that it was a favorite weekend day trip for a Romans.

Thank you all so much. I'd like to read your helpful replies to the rest of the family. I'm having a hard time deciding! I just thought that a day in Orvieto, or a half-day, followed by arriving to Civita later in the day and spending the night there would be lovely. The crowds would have gone by then and it sounds nice to be up and away from everything.
Yes, we'll be arriving there on a Sunday, so parking in Civita could be a problem.
I have read that Civita is popular mainly as a result of RS. I found it interesting that in the 2018 Italy book, he mentions that Civita "used" to be his favorite hill town. I wish I could find out which hill town is his favorite now!

I have stayed in Orvieto near the Duomo and the town is well worth seeing.The Duomo is beautiful inside and out.We day tripped to Civita and loved it.
Mike

Once again, thank you all so much. I am always grateful for these forums and for reading everyone's helpful input.

Since we'll have about 24 hours, we've decided to sleep in Orvieto and visit Civita - we'll hopefully visit the latter early in the morning or later in the day - when most of the day-trippers leave.

I'm glad you decided that!

I'll just give a small warning in case there are any folks in your group who are height sensitive. The bridge over to Civita is so much higher than you can imagine from pictures.

There are wonderful gelato shops in Orvieto! Also make sure you have the RS guidebook with you. I think he discusses the carvings on the facade of the Duomo which tell the stories of the Bible. My favorite one is the carving of Eve coming out of the side of Adam. Oh, just Wiki'd it and there is a picture of that one!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orvieto_Cathedral