European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 15, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                I t a l Orvieto continued from Page 3 surely the most spectacular Structure is the Cathedral. It was started in 1290 and crafted into final form by the Middle of the 1500s. Great masters have continued to add Here and adorn there Over the centuries so that considering the constant restoration going on it May never truly be  the facade is the most striking feature. It is ornamented with an incredible welter of Bas reliefs Bronze and Marble statues and mosaic. Historically in the Middle Ages Orvieto like most of Central Italy was a Bone of Contention Between the Guelph and the Ghibelline supporters respectively of papal authority and aristocratic Imperial Power. The Church won out and Orvieto was under the Dominion of the papal state for centuries. In spite of the remarkable artistic and architectural activity during the Renaissance in Orvieto perhaps the most singular work is the so called Quot Well of St.  when Pope Clement Vii took Refuge in Orvieto after the sack of Rome in 1527, he had a deep Well built to protect the town s water Supply in Case of a siege. It can still be visited today. It is nearly 190 feet deep and almost 30 feet in diameter. Entrance and exit Are by the ingenious device of two parallel and no communicating spiral staircases which is to say that you go Down one Way and come up another looking out one of the Many windows lining the Shaft arid seeing people right across from you who Are on another stairway. Today the District of Orvieto includes not Only the town itself but also a dozen smaller nearby communities such As Bacho caste Giorgio Fabro and Monteschio. They All sport castles and towers some of them in ruins but others in amazingly Good restored condition. Taken together Orvieto and its tiny neighbors provide almost year round Folk and handicraft festivals and any single one of them can be a glimpse beyond the quaint Back to one of the most fragmented violent and fascinating periods in our history. A for information the Orvieto tourist Board is at Piazza Duomo 24. Telephone .0763/41772 or42562. Its fax line is 0763/44433. They Are very helpful for planning itineraries and can provide information and accommodations. When calling from outside Italy dial your International Access code the country code 39 and drop the first 0. Jett Matthews is a tree Lance writer living in Naples Italy Sas 1-7 v a p l fit Hilll a Madonna statue is dwarfed under the towering Cathedral above. Its facade is ornamented with Bas reliefs left Bronze and Marble statues and mosaic. A amps j. King Cruger 4 stripes Magazine december 15, 1994