Orvieto is built on the top of a mountain on top of layers of material from volcanic explosions thousands and thousands of years ago. On Monday we took a few tours of the labyrinth of underground caves that are everywhere beneath the city of Orvieto. We learned that the material below the city is soft and could be dug out to form caves which were used for many purposes. In the caves were little holes in the walls. Those holes were for pigeons to come to. Pigeons were commonly eaten and according to the guide taste like chicken. We are taking her word on that.
Another thing was that the temperature stayed constant and it was an escape from the heat and the cold. There are remains of ancient olive presses which were powered by donkeys that would walk around in circles to crush the olives. There were also many remains of staircases that are thought to have led up to the houses and the city above.
The guide told us that there are about 500 of these tunnels that are documented and probably another 500 or more that either have not yet been documented or not yet discovered. The tunnels are not connected to each other. They also said that a lot of the homes in Viterbo still have access to the caves and often use them as wine cellars. They are perfect for wine since the temperature never changes, it is dark and it is silent.
A little later on the other end of town we went into another cave that contained a nativity scene called the Presepe nel Pozzo. This cave had artifacts that were discovered when excavating at different times. As recently as the last few years, evidence was found that indicated that some of the caves dated back before the Etruscans, more than two thousand years ago. The Etruscans were the inhabitants of parts of Italy before the Romans.
