Orvieto

Orvieto is absolutely worth a stop and even an overnight if you can spare it. You can store luggage at Hotel Picchio (near the train station) but they close for lunch so I'd plan your stop accordingly or e-mail them to confirm.

After having been to all the places you mentioned, I definitely think Orvieto is worth a visit. I really enjoyed it. It's quaint and easy to walk around. I also really enjoyed the underground tour.

Paige,

Yes, Orvieto is definitely worth at least one (preferably two) nights if you have the time. In addition to visiting there, you can take a trip to Civitia di Bagnoregio, which is a very unique "hill town".

Happy travels!

Another vote for beautiful Orvieto! Make sure to climb to the top of the bell tower (Torre del Moro) and the etruscan museums. The duomo, of course, is a must. Enjoy!

Add me to the chorus of 'yes, absolutely!' We spent two nights there and I wish we had had one more day to just kind of sink into everything. If you can only manage it as a stop along the train route, then it's still worth it.

The only caveat is that you cannot take the Eurostar which means your train time goes from about 1.5 hours on the fastest train to about 3 hours (approx. 2 hours from Florence and another hour to Rome) on the slower regional trains. If you have a tight schedule this could be an issue, but it doesn't sound like that is the case.

If I take the train from Rome to Florence and it stops in Orvieto can you pop in for lunch and then hop back on the train a few hours later to get to Florence?

One of my new favorites. It's a nice size with easy access,a beautiful cathedral, views and a lovely atmosphere.You can save some money by staying a night in Orvieto's value priced lodgings instead of that extra night in Rome too if it works out.

If you are heading to Orvieto from Rome or Florence, you cannot ride the faster ES/AV trains - they are NONSTOP. Buy a regional (local) train ticket to Orvieto... and then another to Rome. Hop on/Hop off would not apply because once you validate your ticket, there is a "time limit" (based on which type of ticket you buy). No big issue!

Trains to Rome in the afternoon are about every 2 hours, not hourly like the AM from Rome - so DO check the schedules on Trenitalia.

We chose to stop in Orvieto the night before heading into Rome. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise for us. It sits on cliffs rather than a hill, has a major cathedral (site of corpus cristi miracle) and tunnels that date back to the Etruscans. I would recommend it.

We stayed in Orvieto on our way to Rome in 2007 because we just didn't want to stay in Rome a week. We are going back to Italy for two months this time and we are staying there for 4 days on this trip. We got the pass Rick mentions in his book and we did everything. It was great!

Jerry and Stelly