San Lodovico entrance

Directions to Orvieto Retreat

Flights

Flights from North America arrive at either Rome’s Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (sometimes also called Fiumicino) and Milano’s Malpensa Airport. European flights serve Italy’s many other airports, including Pisa and Florence, but Rome is the best choice for Orvieto.

Directions for Traveling By Train

Low-cost rail service is available from Leonardo da Vinci Airport to Stazione Termini in Rome, where trains regularly depart for Orvieto, on the rail line to Florence and northern Italy. Visit ITALIA RAIL for complete timetables.

If you’re arriving in Orvieto by train, you can arrange with us pickups and dropoffs at the station, which is a few kilometers from (below, actually) the center of town. Or, you can take the funicolare (cable car) up to town and Bus “Linea B” (B line). Ask the driver to stop at “Piazza Ranieri.” (The town is walkable, but you may not wish to do so with a heavy bag.)

Car Rentals

Transportation (except to/from the train station) will not be provided. Because of the excellent rail service, renting a car is not necessary, but students may still want one. We will provide students with each others’ contact information well ahead of time so that those wishing to share a car rental can make arrangements. Car rentals are available from all the major travel sites, such as Expedia. We recommend adding insurance coverage, or acquiring a credit card that provides primary coverage in Italy. Your personal coverage may not apply overseas.

Some students may be interested in renting a car only for the purposes of taking a day trip, for example to Todi or Lake Bolsena. There is a Hertz rental agency near the train station.

Maps

Map 1 – Central Italy: Shows airport and main towns in relation to Orvieto.

Map 2 – Orvieto (detailed): Shows the train station (grid square A5) and Piazza de’ Ranieri (squares C1 & C2), where Istituto San Lodovico is located.

Map 3 – Orvieto (Simple): Shows the town with major landmarks highlighted. Istituto San Lodovico is on Piazza de’ Ranieri, near the southwestern walls.

Driving Directions to Orvieto

Refer to Maps 1 and 2.

1) If coming from Rome, take the A1 autostrada (highway) north, for Firenze and Milano. If coming from Milano, take the A1 autostrada south to Bologna, then Firenze, and then heading for Rome.

2) Take the Orvieto exit. This puts you near Orvieto’s train station (you can see both the highway and the train station in grid square A5 of Map 2).

3) Pay the exit toll. Follow signs for Orvieto. The road will circle around up toward the medieval town.

Parking

There are two large pay parking lots in Orvieto, which cost around €12/day. A monthly subscription may be cheaper; they should cost around €80. Parking near the train station is free. From there, you can take the cable car mentioned above in the directions for traveling by train. You can see where the cable car (“funicolare”) joins the train station to the town in Map 2 (above), grid squares B4 & A5.

If you are staying in the eastern part of town, you should choose “Parcheggio Via Roma,” which is easily located on Google Maps. The address of the lot is: Via Belisario, 10, 05018 Orvieto TR, Italy. On map 3 is it marked by the blue “P” in the dark gray square in the upper right. 

If you are staying at the Istituto San Lodovico or in the western part of town, you should choose the other large pay lot, which is officially named “Foro Boario” but is still better known by its old name “Campo della Fiera.” It is located on the opposite end of town from the train station and the autostrada. On Map 3, you will see “Campo della Fiera” in the southwestern corner. This parking lot is also marked with a blue “P” on grid square C1 of map 2. Please also refer to the photograph at the bottom of this page.

After parking at Campo della Fiera, take the elevator or the escalators up to Piazza de’ Ranieri (usually called simply “Ranieri”). The escalators will put you right in the piazza; with the elevators, you will have to circle around a block. Piazza de’ Ranieri is on the edge of grid squares C1 and C2 on Map 2, and is also marked on Map 3, near the southwestern walls.

If you are staying at Istituto San Lodovico, the address is:

Piazza de’ Ranieri, 5
05018 Orvieto TR
tel. +39 0763 341739

If you can see this above the parking lot, you’re in Campo della Fiera. See “Parking,” above.