Wine tasting in Orvieto's underground caves: Aperitif included

Taste wine and pastries 250,000 years into Orvieto's past

Wine and food tasting in the underground caves of Orvieto, accessed by descending almost 20 meters below street level to a space accidentally discovered during a pastry shop renovation. The experience includes entrance to the caves and an aperitif of savory specialties, pastries, and red and white wine from the restaurant Il Labirinto. This is not a guided tour, so you move through the caves at your own pace. A minimum of two people per booking is required.

Step-by-step itinerary

Aperitif in Orvieto underground caves

• Enter underground caves
• Discover historical eras underground
• View petrified plant fossil
• Enjoy aperitif with wine and pastries

The experience

The caves sit directly beneath Orvieto's streets, uncovered by accident in the 1980s when Rita and Adriano were refinishing the floors of their pastry shop, Pasticceria Adriano. You descend almost 20 meters below street level, traveling through layers of history. On the lowest level, a petrified plant fossil embedded in an ancient river bed dates back roughly 250,000 years: likely carried there by lava from the volcanic eruption that created the Bolsena lake visible from Orvieto today. The geological record is written into the stone around you as you walk.

The aperitif happens inside the caves themselves: savory specialties and pastries paired with red and white wine from Il Labirinto, the restaurant connected to the space. There's no guide walking you through. You set your own pace and spend as long as you want exploring the different eras visible in the underground. The whole experience runs about an hour, leaving most of your afternoon free for the town above.

What’s included

• Entrance to the underground caves.
• aperitif with savory specialties, pastries, red wine and white wine from Il Labirinto.

Before you book

Days and timesTuesday to FridayDeparts at 12:00

Book up to2d before

GroupUp to 15

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Moderate physical level

Operated by Umbria con Me

Is this one for you?An hour is short enough to fit a free afternoon in Orvieto, but long enough to descend through geological time and taste wine in a space most visitors never find. You need moderate fitness to handle the descent and uneven terrain underground, and a minimum of two people must book together.

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Top questions

How deep do you go into the Orvieto underground caves?

The caves descend almost 20 meters below street level, with the lowest section containing the ancient river bed and petrified fossil.

What's included in the aperitif?

Savory specialties and pastries paired with red and white wine from the restaurant Il Labirinto.

Is a guide included, or do you explore on your own?

This is not a guided tour. You move through the caves at your own pace and explore independently.

How long does the whole experience take?

The experience runs about an hour, which leaves time for other activities in Orvieto the same afternoon.

What's the story behind these caves?

The caves were discovered accidentally in the 1980s when Rita and Adriano were renovating the floors of their pastry shop, Pasticceria Adriano. The discovery has become one of Orvieto's most important archaeological testimonies.