Torre del Moro

Torre del Moro (Tower of the Moor), originally known as Torre del Papa, is a 47 meter high tower in Orvieto, located in Corso Cavour, adjacent to Palazzo dei Sette.

From the top of the tower, a bird eye’s view of the entire city below is unfolding in all its splendor.

SHORT HISTORY

Torre del Papa was built at the beginning of the 13th century, a period in which the urban center of Orvieto was the subject of a large renovation, and the most important buildings of the city, such as Palazzo del Popolo and the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, were erected.

The tower, owned by the pope until the second half of the 15th century, had its name changed to Torre del Moro after Raffaele Gualterio, known as Il Moro, who also gave his name to Palazzo Gualterio, located nearby.

In 1865, a water tank was placed in the tower, at the height of 18 meters. A few years later, a mechanical clock and two bells were added to the tower. One of the bells was taken from the dodecagonal tower of the Church of Sant’Andrea and the other from Palazzo del Popolo.

In the 16th century, during the construction of Pozzo di San Patrizio, the tower was the residence of the architect Antonio da Sangallo the Younger.

Since the end of the 19th century, the ground floor of the tower housed the post and telegraph offices.

HOW TO GET THERE

The closest bus stop is located in Piazza Duomo, right in front of the Cathedral of Orvieto, about 300 meters away. To reach the tower from the bus stop, you must walk the entire length of Via del Duomo.

To get up to the top of the tower, you can take an elevator to the second floor, and then climb many steps until you reach the spectacular terrace, from which you can enjoy a beautiful panorama of the city.