Orvieto: Day trip from Rome or worth a stay?

Orvieto can be seen in less than a day. Even in half a day in fact (depending on the detail with which you want to see things).

Some people might decide to stay longer, either because they like to stay in quieter smaller towns rather than big cities, or because they intend to use Orvieto as a base for day trips to other towns (e.g. Civita, Todi).

So the decision is yours.

I like to spend two nights in Orvieto, it is so different without the daytrippers. At least one night will give you time to see the main sights, and the Orvieto Underground tour.

Orvieto definitely has enough sights to keep you busy for a full day, and additional hours can be spent wandering through the picturesque streets.

I agree with the other posters. We spent a day and a night in Orvieto. Plenty of sights to see for a day and by staying the evening, you can explore the town without day trippers.

I think I posted this earlier to another person's question, but if you didn't see it,....
Orvieto is a great trip from Rome, easy on the train. Rick's book has an excellent self-tour. The day pass which you can buy at newsstand at train station is 20 euro, 17 if 65 or older, and covers all the important sights, including the fun funicular and bus round trips up to the town and back down. Lots to see there. Not sure it will take you 2 days but certainly a very full and interesting one day trip. A beautiful place. See my lunch suggestion in Italy restaurant reviews. Yum!!

It all depends on your interests and your preferred rate of travel. We spent two nights there in 2011 and wished we had spent three. However, it was our third trip to Italy so we were more interested in a leisurely pace. It's a very charming, beautiful town with good restaurants, some interesting sites (Well of St. Patrick, underground Etruscan sites, more) and beautiful views out over the surrounding valley.

I vote for staying at least 1 night. I was there on a RS Village Italy Tour and we stayed 2 nights - It is such a wonderful town and I really enjoyed walking around, the open market on the Main Square, walk the wall that goes around the town - fantastic views.

Most definitely you'll want to stay overnight. Not only is there plenty to see in Oviedo but there is also a bus that you can pick up in center of town that takes you to the hilltown of Civita, which is sooo awesome. Oviedo at night is wonderful. When we were there, there was a band playing at an outside restaurant right across from the lit up church. We bought a bottle of wine at the store, got plastic glasses, and sat on the church steps and listened to some great music. It was one of our favorite nights in Italy.

Depends on the person and your interests. In our experience, we stayed 3 nights on our honeymoon and it was perfect and we actually could have used another night, which I'll get to in a minute...

We spent our time exploring the town and visited a lot of the tourist sites (the Estruscan underground tour, St Patrick's well, a museum, the church, etc.). The countryside scenery from the old Orvieto is lovely and the streets inside Orvieto are picturesque and fun to take pictures of. The shopping is good, especially the wine and ceramics. We stayed in a lovely B&B who offered a wine tasting which was fabulous and worth the time. The reason I say we could have used another night was because we lucked into tickets to a Slow Food tour that took most of the day in Orvieto...it was a once in a lifetime experience! We had planned to use the day to visit Civita di Bagnoregio but went on the food tour instead. So, I have to say I highly recommend Orvieto for two nights easily! Especially if a day trip to Civita di Bagnoregio is on your list.