Small-Town Umbrian Charm: Orvieto

An out-of-this-world duomo with end-of-the-world frescoes, a wood-carved fairytale written across town, and the Airbnb you need to know about

Wherever you go in Orvieto, all signs point to the duomo. And for good reason, it’s one of the most distinctive, over-the-top churches in Italy, its alternating bands of gray basalt and white marble giving way to a shimmering gold facade with ornately sculpted panels. There has been much written about this awe-inspiring architectural spectacle, but it’s really something that requires your eyes on it in person to fully appreciate. Pick a spot, any spot, inside the chapel and look up at the eccentric masterworks of a great and possibly deranged talent. My kids, who could hardly believe their good fortune, were riveted by scenes of fantasy and extraordinary violence to rival any comic book. Vicious battles! Flying garish demons! Angels that shoot laser beams from their eyes!