Orvieto, Italy

Absolutely. I went in Feb and the funicular was running, so Oct should be fine. Cathedral is one of the most amazing I've seen[INVALID]beautiful mosaic work on the outside and the Signorelli fresco inside is commonly viewed as his masterpiece. The town was largely closed when I went in Feb, but was attractive anyway. Great views of the surrounding countryside. Also, it was an important Etruscan city, I believe, so you have those relics. And it's also known for area wines, I think, although I didn't explore that. I think it took me an hour to make it by train from Rome; transit time differed for different trains, as I recall, so you might want to watch that.

Marilyn, YES, it's absolutely worth a day trip from Rome (longer would be better). I'm not sure if ALL the tourist facilities will be operating at that time of year (ie: the Underground tour), but the Duomo is incredible and you should be able to have a look at St. Patrick's Well (if you're interested). I believe the Funicular runs year-round (it's a very short trip) and if not, I'm sure they'd have an alternative for getting up to the town. Happy travels!

Thanks Ken.

One of my favorite little towns in all of Italia...a real gem. October is a beautiful time to visit. It is a welcome respite from all the hustle and bustle of Roma. You will love it!

We stayed two nights in Orvieto before our RS Family Europe tour a few years ago... A RS tour planner recommended that we visit there over a few more days on our own in Rome. If you asked everyone in my family to rank the top places we visited during that 28 day trip [INVALID] Orvieto would be near the top. Spending a few nights there had a lot of advantages over just spending part of the day. Scenic streets and sites are flooded with tourists during the day. Evenings and early mornings were magical. A great town to wander narrow and winding streets.... I can't imagine anyone not being pleased with their decision to visit such a beautiful place. If you can [INVALID] spend the night there... very quiet & tranquil [INVALID] we felt very safe wondering through the streets and along the city walls into the late evening.

Orvieto is one of our favorite towns.... here's a post On Orvieto from a Rome destination expert (Mike) from TA - Enjoy ****** http://tinyurl.com/orvieto-daytrip ******

I was there a couple of weeks ago. The funicular was not running when I was there. There is a bus from the train station that you can use to take you up.

I stayed there for 3 night in 2007 at the Hotel Corso and liked everything. However, I thought I stayed a night too long. The people are friendly, the restaurants are good, but the town closes around 9 p.m. The Duomo and the piazza are beautiful. Buon viaggio,

Orvieto is definitely worth a day trip from Rome. It's a great little town & there is a variety of things to do there. I suggest the underground tour if it's operational. It's only an hour long tour & it's very informative. You can also climb to the top of the tower & take in the fabulous views, but we loved just walking all around & taking in the city. It was a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of busy Rome. Enjoy.

Orvieto was a pleasant surprise for us. Compared to other hill towns it sits on cliffs rather than a hill, it has a major Cathedral to mark the Corpus Cristi miracle, and tunnels/cisterns beneath the city that date back to the Etruscans. It's a good day trip because there won't be much going on in Orvieto after nightfall - but a lot to do in one day.